


Of Dreams, Freedom, and Sacrifice

by Lekiana



Category: Final Fantasy II
Genre: Action/Adventure, Death, Destruction, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Violence, slow budding romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5159366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lekiana/pseuds/Lekiana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the Empire causing nothing but destruction in its wake, is the hope of peace merely nothing more than a dream? The fate of the land rests on the Wild Rose Rebellion... but despite the rebels valiant effort to defeat the Emperor, is it already too late? Honestly, you did not know. And with a family that left civilization to avoid most of the horrible events, you never thought you would end up involved in anything of the like. </p>
<p>Not in the slightest...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The time has come for this to no longer be for only my eyes to see... it took me so long to get this out, even though quite a bit of this has been done for some time now. I started writing this a couple years back, so there's already over twenty pages done (I wish I had more, but had lots of writers block trying to get this together :/). 
> 
> This was also originally suppose to just be a ridiculously long one shot for Firion, but I decided to try and make a story out of it not too long ago. One of the reasons being because there aren't much Firion x reader out there... This won't be the main focus, of course. Just a little something on the side :]
> 
> And the story will be rather slow paced...

After moving your bag to your shoulder, you began to tinker with the strap, adjusting it so it would fit more comfortably. Once you were sure it was secured, you rose to your feet, and maneuvered around the small bed to the door. Your room was relatively plain and simple. It had a small dresser with a mirror, and across from that, a bed with little handmade tables on either side. An unlit candle rested on one, while a book laid on the other with a thin piece of parchment sticking out to mark your place.

The story was about a couple of warriors that went on a quest to end a war, and bring back peace to their land. There wasn't anything really special about the story, and over the years you had heard, and read, quite enough about the usual knights going against evil forces. And yet, this story had still managed to entrance you... but only for one reason.

It gave you hope.

Just like the story, the surrounding kingdoms and towns were going through hardships. The war-hungry Palamecian Empire had been going around with its hellish army, terrorizing the lands, and causing so many to die.

Of course, everyone was fear stricken and it seemed like no one would even try to stand up against the Emperor. But as time passed... a rebellion was soon raised to fight back. That was all you heard before moving away; the name of the rebel group remaining unknown to you. However, Palamecia had become all the more ruthless with their attacks after the rebels began to try fighting back. And even though you were away from civilization, you had to admit... It all still frightened you.

 _Just the idea of an attack at any moment..._ A shiver ran down your spine.

Almost a year ago, your parents had decided to live a couple of hours away from your hometown, Poft, in a forest. They felt that it would be much more safe to live in the wilderness than in a town. And even though you were a little far from Poft, your father would still go there to work on the docks. When you had left, you had taken a boat to get to where your new home would soon be, which rested a few bells away from the Kashuan Keep, and only less than half a bell from the large lake you passed over.

Things were peaceful for the most part, and the forest had a decent amount of food depending on where you looked. On the downside, there were the usual monsters appearing and having to be dealt with by your father. He assured your mother and you that they weren't of any difficulty, and after watching him take care of several of them from the safety of your bedroom window, you believed him.

He was a swordsman that had relative ease and grace when in battle, along with powerful, swift strikes. The first time you watched him fight was unforgettable. Those goblins never stood a chance against your father. And you hoped that one day you'd be as good of a fighter as he was.

You began to daydream about fighting off monsters as you left your room, barefeet tapping lightly on the wooden floor. After going down the hall and turning to the stairs, you missed your footing and fell down the five steps with a little scream. Once you came to a stop, you raised a hand to your head, groaning a bit. _Too bad that day won't come anytime soon,_ a soft sigh was released after that thought.

"What a horrible reality check," you muttered, sitting up. Since your parents were in the other room, it only took them a couple of seconds to be at your side.

"Are you alright, ____?"

An embarrassed smile made its way across your face as you looked to your mother. Her eyes were filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine..."

Your father bent down a bit to pull you back to your feet, and your mother got closer to fix your hair. He began to look you over, and when his gaze landed on your bag, his eyebrow raised. "Thinking of going outside?"

Quietly, you nodded your head as your mother finished tending to you before returning to the kitchen to continue making breakfast. You silently hoped that this incident wouldn't effect your fathers decision in letting you go out. He knew you were already clumsy enough as it is, but it wasn't like it happened on a daily basis. _Everyone has their moments though, right? I just don't want him to think I'm even more of a clutz in battle than he probably already believes..._

He had given you a little bit of training, so you knew how to hold your own for at least a minute or two. But instead of using a sword like him, you had chosen a dagger, which he usually kept for you. He didn't want you to leave home without him knowing, and you knew better than to go out defenseless. So you both had made a deal that whenever you wanted to leave, you would go to him in order to get your weapon before heading out. And after him knowing you fell down the stairs, you weren't sure if he would let you go out so easily.

Alas, this would just be another moment to add to the ever growing list of embarrassments.

You had also tripped when training with him, and that ended up with you accidentally cutting yourself in the shoulder. Never in your life had you seen your father look so terrified before. That incident ended your training before it even really began. But going back to the present... It had been a couple of weeks since you went on a walk through the forest, so you were feeling pretty deprived.

Most of your time was spent either helping your mother around the house or reading, and you were getting bored of the same old thing. You needed to get out for a bit, and you hoped that he would see that. Luckily for you, since you spent so much time helping out, you knew of most of the things that were running low. And you took advantage of this knowledge.

"We're almost out of fruit, so I wanted to look for some more. That's why I have this..." you lifted your bag a bit as you spoke and looked up at him with hopeful, pleading eyes.

He stared at you for a moment. He knew how you felt and thought it over for a couple of seconds, eventually sighing a bit. "Fine. But after breakfast..." You grinned happily.

"Yes! Thank you!"

He slightly smiled as he watched you run into the kitchen to help your mother get breakfast ready. When you disappeared from his sight, he then turned to look out the window, scanning the area for monsters. It took you both about fifteen minutes to get done and only a couple more for you to finish eating. Unlike you though, your parents were in no hurry, and it seemed like your father was taking his time on purpose. After a few more minutes of torture, he finally finished the last of his fish and rice. Once he placed his plate in the sink, you neared him.

"Can I go now?" He didn't reply right away, only looked out the window again, eyes darting around the perimeter. Silently standing next to him, you began to mirror him as you waited for him to speak. About a minute passed until he glanced down at you.

"Don't go too far. Don't lose your focus. And always keep an eye on your surroundings," his gaze softened a bit when he noticed you were mimicking him. "I don't want to bring your body back lifeless..."

Now holding his gaze, you reassuringly smiled at him. "I'll be okay, this isn't the first time I'm doing this."

"Aye. It's your second time," he chuckled under his breath and looked back to the window. You rolled your eyes.

"I lived. I'll be fine."

Finally deciding to hand you your dagger had your eyes light up. After grabbing the blade and securing it on your person, you gave him a hug, then went over to your mother, doing the same to her.

"Be careful out there, and do your best to stay out of trouble," she murmured softly as you rested your chin against her shoulder. "And if you happen to come across any herbs... you know, we can never have too much medicine."

Smiling a bit, you nodded your head against her. "I'll try, mother."

She softly kissed your cheek before pulling back. "Do so only if it's easy to get. Don't go out of your way getting them if it's too risky. Just... please, don't do anything reckless..." In response, you gave her another hug. Once that was done, you looked to them both and smiled with a little wave.

"I'll be back soon," and with that, you turned around and walked out of the house.

As the door shut behind you, you stopped and looked around your surroundings for anything suspicious. After a moment of doing so, you continued to move, already knowing that your parents were carefully watching you from the window. About two minutes of walking passed before you looked over your shoulder, checking if the house was within your field of vision. When all you saw were trees and shrubs, you turned back around smiling happily before taking off in a light run.

Feeling the cool dirt and grass beneath your feet made your smile increase as you went further away from home. A hand rested over your bag to keep it from bouncing around for a moment before pushing it behind you so you could run a little faster. You had no idea where you were going and honestly didn't really care for the time being. You were just enjoying the moment while it lasted. Everything just looked so amazing!

The way the sunrise broke through parts of the forest, sprouting rays of light everywhere. The way the lush green grass, leaves, and shrubs glistened underneath the light due to the morning dew lightly coating them.

It was beautiful...

Now panting softly and slowing to a walk again, so you wouldn't completely lose your breath, you began to focus on why you came out here. Looking around for any food or herbs. A quiet sigh soon escaped your lips when none were sighted.

 _And once I actually manage to find some food, it'll only be a matter of time until a monster shows up._ A couple minutes of silence passed until your gaze locked on one of the things you were looking for. Berries. _Well that was fast._ When you were a short distance away from the red colored fruit, you stopped to look around, checking if you were safe. _So far so good,_ you faced the bush again, now examining the food for a few seconds. Reaching your left hand out to grab a berry, you began to roll the plump, juicy fruit between your fingers.

You only knew of one way to know if something was edible or not, and that was from spending so much of your time reading. And from what you read, you recalled it saying that there was an equal chance for red berries to be edible and inedible. _Just please be the former..._ Finally ceasing your little action, you pinched the berry tightly between your grasp, making the juice run down your fingers and knuckles. _Now all I have to do is wait a few minutes and see if it causes irritation. So until then, I can't let my guard down. Especially since the scent is in the open... maybe I should hide in a tree?_

You looked up at a tree that was next to the berry bush and instantly felt part of you sink a bit. The branches were either thin and didn't look as if they could hold your weight, or were too high to reach. Now glancing to all the trees around you, you soon realized that none were exactly easy to reach.

You frowned.

"Why do I feel like this will be a problem in the future?" After a short moment of thinking, you decided to sit on the grass, back pressed against the tree. About a minute later, you found yourself with a hand running over your weapon.

Yes, you were a little scared that something might happen, but it was also because you were slowly becoming tired of waiting. Your clean hand ran along the silver designs on the black sheath, outlining each of its curves with your fingers. It was cool to the touch, and doing this somewhat soothed you.

Another minute went by, and you could have swore you heard something to the right of you. Your eyes darted in the direction of the sound. It was on the other side of the bush. Slowly sitting up, you peeked around the shrub, wondering what caused the noise. Your breath instantly caught in your throat.

There, standing no more than fifteen feet away from you, were two goblins.

"I'm tellin' you, I really do smell somethin' over here!" A raspy voice cried out in aggravation.

_Uh oh..._

"It's just those berries over there! There ain't anythin' special about it!" _Yeah, there's nothing special over here, so just listen to your buddy and go back where you came from!_

"Ugh, you dumbass, it's not the berries I'm talkin' about! Here-" the one speaking grabbed the other goblin's head and pushed his face into the ground. You took this as a cue to begin crawling backwards, trying to go around the tree. "You get what I'm sayin' now?"

There was no response.

After a couple more seconds, you were successfully behind the tree and stood up, quietly unsheathing your dagger. The sound of the footsteps drawing closer was getting louder and louder by the second, making your heart beat quicken immensely. You breathed in a slow, shaky breath trying to calm yourself. _Even though I'm outnumbered, I can still make the first move. Just relax..._

The rays of light shined through the forest on the other side of the tree, making it so their shadows would be seen as they approached. You could only take one out though if it worked out. You just had to stay calm. But even if you did manage to kill one, you'd still be at a disadvantage since you knew they most likely had more experience than you. These thoughts made you shake since you had never killed before. A burning sensation soon went along your fingers, causing your eyes to narrow.  _So they were poisonous after all._

You looked back to the ground, watching the shadows increase in length. Seeing one now on each side of the tree signalled that the inevitable battle was nearing. Gripping the dagger with both hands, you positioned yourself to attack the one on the left. The moment you saw part of the ugly tanish creature, you charged him. A cry of pain split through the air as your blade cut into the monsters shoulder. Recoiling harshly back caused another scream to erupt from the goblin as the blade was removed. The creature collapsed at your feet.

You swallowed hard as you eyed the blood on your dagger, the footsteps of the last one gaining on you quickly. With no more hesitation, you faced your opponent just as his claws were raised to strike. His attack made you force yourself backwards in fright. Completely forgetting about the body that lay behind you, you fell on top of him, missing the strike to the gut. The creature groaned from the sudden weight. _It's still alive!?_

In fear, you rolled off the body and quickly sprung to your feet into a defensive stance. In that moment, the goblin that was still standing jumped towards you, and you swung your dagger blindly in front of you, managing to get him in the chest as he clawed part of your upper right arm. Breathing in through slightly gritted teeth, you moved away from him as he fell back squirming in pain. You shook uncontrollably as you watched him spasm, and took a couple more steps back.

"I-I actually...?" Your father had told you countless times how weak the goblins were, but you had no idea it would be this easy.

The goblin began to curse at you in some strange native tongue. The dying creature creeped you out even more when you heard him speak whatever he was saying. So you turned and ran away, sheathing your dagger as you moved. After running for a couple of minutes you eventually slowed down, panting heavily, and carefully scanned the area for anything dangerous. When nothing was spotted you lifted your left hand up, wondering how it was doing. It seemed to be fine for the most part... except for being blotchy and itchy.

"Okay, from now on when it comes to berries, I'm just going to try and get the black and blue ones..." Those types of berries in the wild had the highest chance of actually being edible.

_Lesson learned. Always stay away from brightly colored berries..._

...

After wandering around for quite a bit, you finally managed to fill your bag with some blackberries and raspberries, but still couldn't find any herbs. It wasn't much, but it was still slightly pleasing. Just slightly. Why? Because as of now, what you wanted to find the most was somewhere with water so you could tend to your injury. Now if you found that, you'd be the happiest girl in the wilderness. Frowning, you looked to the claw marks on your right bicep. _I probably have an infection already..._

There were three tears in the skin, each one around three inches long and about a quarter inch wide. Possibly a quarter inch deep as well. You thought about how your parents would react to this and sighed as you marked a tree with your dagger, trying to make it easier to find the way back when the time came. It sort of felt like this wouldn't work since you started doing it about ten minutes back, and you've already been outside for at least a bell.

Now encaptured in the thoughts of possibly being lost, you didn't notice the leg eater moving towards you. It didn't take long for you to feel pain in a leg, and looked down as the green creature surrounded in spiked pink vines rammed into your leg again. You winced and moved back, unsheathing your dagger. This was the first time you saw one of these up close, and its appearance creeped you out. You moved for the monster's head, expecting for this to last a few minutes, but it faded away right after that attack. And you couldn't help but stare with a raised brow.

This was the third time you were attacked already, and the more you walked around, the more you realized how weak the enemies in the area really were. Your fear of them was beginning to die down greatly. _I honestly can't believe I was afraid of them to begin with!_ You felt ashamed for once thinking such a thing. _Well, at least I know I can handle them. I can't wait to tell my parents about this!_ A victorious smile made its way across your lips as you stood with your hands on your hips. Oh boy, these victories were beginning to get to your head. _That is, if I find my way back. Hopefully it won't be too hard..._

As you continued through the forest, you began to walk with confidence growing in your step. You couldn't help but to bask in the feeling. In all your years of life, you never once felt this way, having to deal with such obstacles and actually being able to overcome them. That, along with being able to explore to your hearts content? It was exhilarating! Scratch trying to find a place to tend to wounds being the only way to make you extremely pleased, this took the cake.

Several more minutes flew by and you soon found yourself staring at the bottom of a mountain. You decided to go right and followed closely along the curve. Now softly humming, you looked to the skies, them being much easier to see now since you were near the mountain with no trees blocking the heavens. But alas, the peaceful moment soon went away just as quick as it came.

Stupid random battles.

"Now what is a kid doing out here alone? You must be asking for a death wish," a deep, rough voice came to your ears and you quickly turned around. A big man in dark armor stood before you, sword out with a bronze shield. He had bronze pauldrons over his shoulders and wore a bronze helmet over dark green hair. And under that helmet, ominous glowing hues took in your form.

_A soldier? So he's with the...?_

The confidence you use to have shattered the moment that thought ended. Especially after what he next told you.

"And I shall gladly give it to you..."

_Oh gods..._

He began to take steps forward. You took out your dagger, heart beginning to pound like it did in the first battle. The feelings you felt in that encounter started to resurface, and gradually increased with each step he made. Once he was a couple feet away, he swung his sword down swiftly and you evaded by sloppily jump rolling to the side, trying not to land on your bag. He gave you no time to recover, and went in again, this time pointing the tip of his sword down to jab you.

Throwing yourself into another roll, you narrowly escaped his assault with only the side of your thigh getting hit. The blade didn't stab through, but slid right by, slicing open part of your knee length pants. You tightly shut your eyes and went into another roll before being able to stand up. You stepped back, instantly feeling more pain in your leg.

It was bearable. Probably bearable enough to run away with. The idea was tempting, but you didn't like the thought of doing so.

He swung his sword at you again, and you jumped back, not even bothering to try and block it. It was obvious that this soldier of Palamecia was stronger than you, and once again, the thought of retreating returned to you. Your parents words went through your mind, and your grip on the dagger tightened. You didn't want to be a coward... but at least you had a chance of living if you succumbed to the thought.

_I don't want the chance to just slip by, especially with one of the Emperor's soldiers, I just... I-I'm not ready for this. I have to get out of here!_

The soldier raised his sword above his head, getting ready to attack once again, but you ran past him and down the same path you were going in before he attacked. He yelled something at you, but you zoned him out, and closed your eyes tightly as the pain in your leg increased with each step you took. You were wrong. It wasn't bearable enough to run with.

Opening your eyes, you began to tear up a bit as you continued to follow the curve of the mountain. A few more minutes passed until an opening was soon in sight. It didn't take long to get through, and once you were in, you harshly turned to the left. Sprinting as hard as you could, you tried to get as far as your legs would take you while you still had the chance. You were soon going through the trees again, no longer in an open part of the nature. Never once looking over your shoulder to see if he was still following, you kept your slightly blurry gaze in front of you.

You were too terrified to look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, we're almost half way through the one shot part. It feels weird having to break this up into chapters when for so long it was all together... 
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

When some time of running had passed, you eventually saw another opening through the trees and quickened your pace. When you broke through, you stopped and looked around, breathing hard. It was another wide area, much bigger than the last one you were in. And this one had trees circling around the large perimeter.

You looked down.

The grass was much higher than in the forest and stopped right above your knees.

It felt a lot softer as well...

Reaching a hand up to dry your eyes, you began to move forward and watched your step, not wanting to step on any flowers that were in the way. They were scattered around in groups of yellows and reds. Lifting your eyes up to look around the huge area some more, you eventually caught sight of several yellow feathered creatures in the distance.

Seeing the nature brought some peace to you, but seeing this made you fight against jumping in happiness for the sake of your injuries. Unable to refrain from smiling, you carefully moved closer, not wanting to frighten them away, or damage your leg any further. Never in your life had you seen a chocobo in person before, so this was a very exciting moment for you. Honestly, you didn't think you ever would.

_And here I thought they were killed off because of the war..._

When you were close enough, you caught the attention of one, and it tilted its head to the side as it looked at you. It kwehed, and you almost died from a happiness overload. _It's so much more cute than the books made them out to be!_ It watched you cautiously for a moment, as if trying to figure out if you were a threat or not. You stopped moving and crouched down in the grass, wincing a bit since it caused you some more pain. It stared at you for a couple seconds before looking away to the other chocobo, as if to say it didn't find you dangerous. At least that was how you took it. Standing back up, you got a bit closer and it looked back to you, moving away a bit.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you..." It seemed to stop moving away when it heard the soft tone of your voice. You watched it for a moment before opening up your bag. The action seemed to make it go away again. Slowly pulling your hand back out, you extended it out in front of you, holding a couple berries for the chocobo to take. It kwehed again before curiously moving over to peer into your hand. "They're not greens, so I'm sorry if you don't like them."

It hesitantly picked at the food before kwehing again. You couldn't help but laugh at the way it did it. _It sounds disappointed?_ You smiled at its cute behavior and reached your good hand up to pet the feathered head. It allowed you to do so, which made your smile increase. And so, you were finally able to have a moment of peace for quite some time. You decided to stay here until you felt that you should try to find your way back.

Now sitting with your legs up to your chest and arms crossed over them, you rested your head against your arms. Silently, you watched the chocobo through the tall grass. It had been a while since you had a real break. All the other times only lasted for a few minutes and ended with you being attacked once more. But here, you could take a breather. As long as the chocobo were near, you were sure you'd be safe. If something bad was coming, you were sure they would be able to sense it. And once they did, they would most likely start freaking out which would instantly gain your attention.

_I should come here more often..._

It had been about fifteen minutes since you came across the place, and took nearly two bells to get this far. You took in the lovely scent of the flowers that drifted through the air for a moment before standing up to give a test stretch. Instantly, you regretted doing so. Putting your hands back down, you winced painfully. Feeling light headed, you gingerly walked over to the chocobo you fed earlier, and began to pet it again, trying to ignore your injuries.

"Maybe I should try to find my way back now?" You spoke under your breath. The chocobo nuzzled its head against your hand, making you giggle. "Is that a no?"

It blinked its blue eyes at you before kwehing loudly. You raised a brow, surprised that it even responded. It then rubbed itself against your hand yet again. Smiling, you continued to run your fingers through the cool feathers. After some time of doing that, you got a bit closer, pressed your head against it and closed your eyes, enjoying the softness of the creature.

The chocobo had managed to bring you comfort.

About a minute passed until the chocobo turned its head quickly to the side, looking behind you. From the position you were in, there was no way for you to notice this. At least until you heard footsteps passing through the grass. Eyes instantly opening, you moved your head back, and looked over your shoulder nervously. And then you stilled.

You really weren't expecting for your eyes to meet with a pair of amber ones.

With the injuries you had, you knew you couldn't fight as well as before, and without injuries you weren't that great to begin with.

_This won't end well..._

He wore a bandanna of orange, black, and blue with a red gem on the front, along with a couple of beads dangling off some parts. Underneath was white hair that slightly spiked out around his face while the rest was pulled back in a low ponytail. He wore dark and light blue armor, along with a light blue cape draped around his neck. Blue bracers covered his forearms, and a small, dark spiked shield was on his left arm. You were surprised and afraid of how much weapons he had on him, and quickly turned to face him while pulling out your dagger.

"Ah, easy! I didn't come here to hurt you," the young man rose his hands out in front of him. Not saying anything immediately, you only stared at him for several long, tense moments.

"You... didn't?"

He responded by taking a step back.

You slightly lowered your weapon and watched him closely for a while before hesitantly sheathing your blade, but did not remove your hand from the hilt just yet. _If he's not here to fight, what happens now?_ A timid expression made way across your face. "Um... sorry about that..." He shook his head at your words.

"Don't be, it's my fault you acted that way. My apologies for scaring you," he took a step forward.

Uneasily, you looked to the ground and moved back against the chocobo, making him frown slightly. He took this moment to examine you more thoroughly and glanced down at your arm, then lowered his gaze to your hand before finally stopping on your leg.

"So that's why you shy away..." he muttered to himself in thought before looking back up at you. "If I give you my name, will you let me help you?"

His words surprised you, not to mention the way he spoke had somewhat put you at ease. He sounded sincere. Even though he still intimidated you from the amount of weapons he had, you eventually answered with a short nod.

"My name is Firion."

You slowly lifted your head to look at him. "____..."

Firion gave you a comforting smile before approaching you.

And then you finally removed your hand from the dagger, albeit hesitantly. It had been a while since you spoke to someone, other than your family, that you could be on peaceful terms with. It felt a little odd... but nice at the same time. Firion had you sit down and went to the right of you.

"How long has it been since you had this?" He was referring to your arm as he pulled out a small bottle.

"About a bell now," the moment you realized what the bottle was, you flinched away. Firion gently grabbed your arm.

"It won't last long... I promise."

 _So much for not hurting me,_ you thought weakly, but let him continue. When the medicine touched you, you instantly breathed in sharply, and tightly clenched your fists. The ever increasing pain made you begin to tear again, and you looked away from him. You hated how it was difficult for you to handle pain, and hoped that when you got older it wouldn't effect you as much. When you turned your head, you noticed that the chocobo was now resting in the grass behind you. This brought a half smile to your face.

A few seconds went by before a warm feeling flowed through your arm, replacing the pain. Looking back curiously, you soon discovered that the majority of the wound was healed. Shocked, you looked to Firion and saw he was holding another bottle, this one being red. _A potion!?_  Seeing the potion shocked you even further since they were a rare thing for your family to buy. He put the potion down and picked the small bottle back up.

"May I see your hand?" He sounded nervous, but you did as he asked and placed your hand in his open one. His hand felt warm and firm, holding yours in a gentle grasp. This time the disinfectant didn't hurt as badly as the first time, the stinging only lasting for a couple of seconds. You felt him give your hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling away. "I know this will be uncomfortable for you, but do you think you could... um..." Firion lowered his gaze to your leg.

 _O-Oh..._ You hesitantly pulled the cloth back, and couldn't help but to stare in surprise once you saw how bad it was. Dried blood ran along your leg in streaks, the cut on your thigh was almost four inches long and was somewhat wide. _It's worse than I thought it would be!_

You tightly closed your eyes and bit your lip as Firion applied the medicine. Once he finished, he then poured some of the potion onto it, making it partially heal just as the first one did. And just when you thought it was over, he began chanting something. Before you knew it, a light blue glow flowed around you, and your eyes widened in awe. The warm feeling you felt earlier went through you once more, and when it disappeared, you examined yourself. The injuries were healed entirely, the only thing left to show that you actually were hurt was the dried blood on your arm and leg. Now looking to your hand, you noticed only the blotchiness still remained.

"The color should go back to normal in a few moments." You looked to him, amazed and in shock.

"Th-Thank you, Firion..." He smiled and nodded to you.

"No problem. Now, may I ask you something?" He was watching you carefully.

"Yes, what is it?" You kept your gaze on him, curiously.

"Why were you out here by yourself?"

 _Ah, so that was it._ "Well... I just wanted to gather a couple of things my family was almost out of..." He looked to the bag as you motioned to it before nodding quietly, waiting for you to continue. "And because I wanted to explore." He blinked at the last reason which made you smile.

"I see..."

Gradually, beginning to feel more comfortable around him, you decided to try speaking some more. "And I could ask the same thing of you, Firion." Those words seemed to catch him off guard, but he was still able to respond.

"I came with some of my friends. Since I was the first to wake, I decided to take a look around the area..." He trailed off and looked as if he was lost in thought. You stayed silent, not really knowing whether or not you should break him out of his thoughts by asking him your other question. But there was no need. "So you live around here, ____?"

"Not really," reaching a hand back, you began to pet the now sleeping chocobo. "I kind of traveled a little too far."

"And how far would that be?"

Now thinking it over, you looked to the sky, trying to judge the time of day from the position of the sun. It was still early. "About two bells away, but that's when coming here wasn't intentional."

"Wasn't intentional? So this is your first time here?"

"Pretty much," you nodded before looking to the side at a yellow bloom. Seeing it lightly sway to and fro caused you to softly smile as you added. "I'm going to try coming here more often though... it's nice here." Firion seemed to be enjoying the peace as well, and let his eyes run over the terrain as you spoke. After taking in the area for a while, you soon glanced at your new acquaintance, catching his eye. "By the way, I owe you for all the help you've given me." Once again, your words seemed to catch him off guard. He snapped out of his thoughts.

"No, it's alright! There's no need for you to do anything."

You shook your head. "But I would really like to repay you. If I made it this far and got hurt like that, I can only imagine how much worse it could've been trying to go back..." As you spoke the last part, he noticed how your tone lowered.

"But you did fine getting this far with those injuries. I think you handled it very well." You didn't know if he was just saying that to make you feel better, and averted your eyes nonetheless, feeling some shyness return.

"Thank you. But really... if there's anything you need..." A small smile was offered to him. And then you noticed him flushing lightly.

"I-I already told you..." Quietly wondering if you were finally getting to him, you quickly decided to let it go, beginning to feel a little bad for making him react in that way.

After you both went separate ways, you probably would never see each other again anyway. The thought actually saddened you a bit. You moved to stand, making him watch you curiously as you gave a low hum in thought. Your father usually headed to Poft to work at the docks around this time of day, and he usually didn't come home until it was late in the evening, so you still had lots of time to roam around.

"Do you know where any water is, Firion?" You glanced at the dried blood on your arm as you spoke.

"Yes. Though it will take some time to get there," he rose to his feet as well. In this moment, you finally realized how tall he was as you stood just below his shoulder. "But if we ride by chocobo, it shouldn't take too long. Forgive me for not taking you there sooner." _We?_ You looked to him, surprise once again showing in your eyes. _He wants to come with me?_

"N-No, it's alright... what about your friends? Wouldn't they be worried if you were gone too long?" Instantly, you wanted to hit yourself in the face. It sounded like you didn't want him to come with you, when in reality you just didn't want to become some sort of hindrance to him.

"I think they'll be fine, it hasn't been too long since I left," he turned to face the resting chocobo. "The monsters will be drawn to you once they smell your blood. I want to make sure you're safe."

Looking down to the chocobo as well, you faintly blushed at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks... I appreciate it."

Firion nodded to you and looked up at a couple of the other chocobo in the area. "I think we should leave this one to rest." Now it was your turn to nod. You gave it a final rub on the head before following after Firion towards the other chocobo.

The timid creatures began to move away as you both approached carefully, and you soon decided to stop a moment to watch in amusement as Firion drew closer to one. It kwehed at the armored clad teen, making him come to a stop. The chocobo watched him with cautious eyes, most likely because he was covered in weapons from head to toe. He held out a hand to the creature, beckoning it to come closer as he spoke in a soothing, quiet tone. Seeing someone with an intimidating appearance do such a thing was surprisingly heartwarming.

It took a little while to finally get the chocobo to do as he wanted. When the chocobo let Firion get close enough, it released another kweh as his hand came into contact with its head. The scene made you smile and you cautiously began to walk over to them as he pet it for a moment longer before moving to get on its back. When near, you began to pet the chocobo as well and uneasily looked to the ground. Firion seemed to catch on when he saw the look.

"Is this your first time?" Glancing up at him, you only replied with a nod. "I know it can be somewhat daunting at first, but there's nothing to worry about. We'll also be moving fast enough to avoid conflict."

Yes, you were a little bit worried about riding one, but that wasn't what worried you the most. You were afraid that some of your dried blood would rub against him. You didn't care if it was dried, you just didn't want it to touch him, not wanting him to get sick. As you walked over to Firion, he held out his hand for you to take and helped pull you up. Now sitting behind him, you held onto his shoulders as he leaned forward a bit to hang onto the chocobo.

And lightly kicking its sides, he made it go into a run.

The sudden fast pace made you gasp and let go of his shoulders to throw your arms around his waist instead, heart pounding. If it wasn't for the scare, you were sure you would have had blood rushing to your face, just as Firion's was, unbeknownst to you. You were pressed against his back, lance, and bow, which was a little more than uncomfortable. Moving back slightly, you looked around the surroundings, hair flowing back in the wind. You became tense when monsters were passed, but soon relaxed when you saw how futile it was for them to reach the two of you.

Turning back ahead to look over his shoulder, you realized that the forest was eventually coming to an end. And a couple long moments later, you both broke through the trees. Now, Firion and you rode under the bright blue skies littered with puffy white clouds through short grass. Up ahead, quite a distance away, a huge lake was in sight. And you couldn't help but to stare in awe at how wonderful it looked, glistening under the sunlight...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone :) 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and bookmark! I didn't think this story would get that much attention since Final Fantasy II has always been kind of overlooked. And my apologies for the three month hiatus... I've been having mixed feelings about this part. I probably changed about half of the dialogue because it just didn't feel right. This has been going on for so long, it feels almost like a puzzle to me now...

The armored youth had the chocobo slow down, stopping where the grass ended and the sand began. It was a rather grassy beach to say the least. Even in the parts where there was sand, random patches of grass sprouted out in different areas. About twenty feet away from you both was a slow, gentle moving tide. You knew the location was not too far from your home.

 _Now I don't have to worry about getting lost when I try to go back!_ As of now, you were facing the west, so if you went north and followed along the water, you would eventually come across more familiar terrain, and find your way back with the utmost ease.

Firion carefully got off the chocobo, so none of his weapons would harm the creature, and once down, looked up to you. You were looking around the area, a childlike feel about you. Swinging a leg over, you jumped down, and covered your mouth with a hand in an attempt to hide your smile.

"I can't stop smiling... It's beautiful here," you laughed and he chuckled while turning to look around the meadow.

He was giving you privacy.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, you walked onto the warm sand and towards the water. After watching the tide come one more time, you crouched down where the water didn't reach, and held an awaiting hand to the sand as the tide pushed towards you once again. Gathering some of the cool water into your palm, you decided to start with cleaning your arm.

Trembling due to how cold it was, you paused a moment to take in a breath before rubbing away at the blood. When you next lowered your hand to the water, you began wondering what would happen once this was over. Would you both remain in each others company a little while longer? And when you both did leave, what were the odds of either of you ever seeing each other again?

Once you finished removing the dirt and blood from your arm, you pulled your pant leg up and did the same to your thigh, beginning to shiver all the more. As you scooped up more water, the book you were reading soon came to mind. You couldn't help but think that Firion resembled one of the warriors from the story. Eyes drifting behind, you watched him silently for a moment. His cape and hair was softly being carried by the wind as he stood on watch with the chocobo at his side.

 _Looking at him like this, he really does seem like a warrior... protective and-_ the tide came a bit further than before, making you jump up and almost shriek when it touched you. It was freezing! Immediately, you glanced back again, checking if Firion noticed what happened. It didn't seem like he did.

Giving a relieved sigh and turning back to the water, you crouched back down to finish cleaning the blood away. When all the dried blood was gone, you stood up and smoothed out your pant leg with a hand. More chills ran through you as you turned, arm now facing the direction the wind was coming from as you approached the young man. Briefly pausing, you reveled in the softness of the sand. Letting yourself sink into its warmth a while longer, you soon closed the distance between Firion and you. When he heard you coming up behind him, he finally turned around.

"Thanks for taking me here."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I was able to help," he said with a gentle smile. You half smiled back a bit before looking to the side in the direction of your home. Neither really knowing what to say next, you both fell silent. Quietly gazing across the land for a long moment, you eventually broke the silence. Not having him in sight made it easier to say what you were about to.

"You know... you've helped me out a lot more than you think." Looking back to him, you noticed the questioning look he had.

"I did?"

You nodded, sheepishly turning your gaze away from his again.

"Just now, you helped me figure out where I was. And if it wasn't for you, my parents would have been so scared..."

The memory of accidentally cutting your shoulder during training came to mind. It was hard to forget something like that, as much as you wanted to... The fear and worry your parents expressed that day would always be remembered. But your injuries of today were far worse than the one to the shoulder. And when you imagined going back when you still had them, the thought of home had made you extremely hesitant on even the idea of returning. Having folded your arms as you reflected, one of your hands was now ghosting lightly over your shoulder.

Even now, you could still feel the sting of the blade cutting through you.

"If they saw me as I was before, I probably wouldn't be allowed outside for a long time."

Firion stayed silent, waiting for you to go on as you thought over your next choice of words. However, when you didn't say anything more, he gently inquired. "Your parents keep you inside all the time?"

Quietly, you hummed in reply. "They only do it because it's so..." you paused, trying to find the best way to explain the world you lived in.

"...Dangerous?"

You were leaning more towards 'chaotic', but 'dangerous' worked just as well. Nodding to him, you added. "Out there- I mean here," the minor mistake had you flush a bit. Firion slightly chuckled as you turned to watch the water gently move back and forth.

"I understand what you're saying. You want to explore..." He went to stand beside you, taking in the scenery as well. "That desire you have is the same as finally having some peace after many battles, and hoping that there will be more times like it. Even if only for a moment," he lowered his gaze to the tide. And softly, he added. "You just wish for more, but inside... you know that there will be far more to overcome until that everlasting peace is truly fulfilled." As he spoke, you couldn't help but to begin wondering... "But your parents are right. It is pretty dangerous..."

_Because of the Emperor, these are times of war and bloodshed... so when he says battles, does he really mean fighting against him? Or does he just mean the monsters running around? Or maybe both?_

He looked like he wanted to say more, but remained silent. In this moment, the chocobo decided to come closer to the two of you, causing you both to glance at it as it kwehed. Placing a hand on the soft creature, you continued thinking about what was just said.

"My desire is so silly compared to that one..."

"I don't think it's silly," Firion shook his head, and his hazel eyes rested on you. The intensity of his gaze seemed to stir something within, causing you to still. "You want the freedom to go and do as you want. That's something everyone desires."

"Something everyone desires, huh? Hm..." An unknowing smile took to your features as you pondered over his words. Already knowing the answer, you decided to ask anyway in an effort to keep the conversation going. "Is peace what you desire?"

The question had him look away from you.

"Yes," Firion looked over the water once more. "It's... a dream of mine."

After that was said, the young warrior seemed to shy from you. It was clearly noticeable, making you somewhat taken aback. It didn't take long for your expression to soften because of how he was acting.

His dream, like yours, wasn't at all uncommon, especially at a time like this with the war going on. Knowing this, along with seeing his sudden change in demeanor, caused a smile to try and show itself on your features. One which you found very difficult to fight against. Needless to say, it didn't take long for a small one to be revealed. Seeing Firion timid about revealing something he was so passionate about made him grow even more on you.

"Everlasting peace..." your smile increased a bit as your fingers ran through golden feathers. "Just thinking about it brings some reassurance. That's a very nice dream of yours, Firion."

A light redness spread across his cheeks. "T-Thank you, ____."

You nodded to him, taking notice of his blush. Little did you know, not only was he doing so because of the conversation about his dream, but also because of what he was about to say next. He wanted to test out something. And if you didn't know it then... well, that would be embarrassing on his part.

"...The wild rose."

_Huh?_

Silent question filled your eyes, instantly making him regret speaking those words.

"I just- uh... um..." You watched him in some amusement. Although you had to admit, you felt a bit bad for the teenager, albeit still curious about what he said. "Just forge-"

The chocobo nuzzled its head against him, making his blush deepen as you laughed. This was the perfect opportunity for a subject change, and you decided to do just that for him. You still wanted to repay him somehow, and not just with something as simple as this. But after all he had done for you, it was the least you could do.

Petting the chocobo once again, you looked affectionately at it.

"I'm surprised it's still with us. I remember hearing that they ran away whenever they got the chance," he was grateful for the change and relaxed a bit. Relief showed in his amber eyes. "Looks like it likes you too much to leave."

Firion looked to the chocobo and reached a hand to its head, rubbing it as well. "I guess so..." He didn't really know what to say, but he could feel the heat from his face leaving, which seemed to relieve him even further.

As you thought over your words, you lowered your gaze to the bag at your side. You almost forgot about your purpose of trying to find more things, specifically herbs now since you had managed to find some food. Just as the chocobo seemed to like Firion, your like of him had increased as well. You saw him as more than an acquaintance and very close to a friend now.

 _And I only knew him for almost a bell. Hm..._ Soon pulling from the creature, you turned around, taking several steps into the grass before stopping. Looking in the direction of your home for a moment, you softly voiced your thoughts.

"When we leave... do you think we'll be able to...?"

You didn't need to finish for him to know what you were asking. And if you had been looking at him, you would have noticed how his gaze followed your figure. He was silent for some time, thinking over quite a bit of things. Things that may take his life, if failed. The young warrior didn't want to promise something and get your hopes up, just in case the worst decided to take place.

"Maybe one day, we will," he took a couple of steps into the grass, stopping several feet away from you. Hearing his response had you nod to yourself.

"Alright, then... I think I've held you up long enough," turning around slightly, you looked up at him. _Your friends are probably pretty worried about you right now._

"You make it sound like I see you as a burden." _But I kind of am, Firion... you've been watching over me for the most part._ You didn't say anything, but it wasn't difficult for him to figure out what you were thinking. The expression you wore was more than enough. "Don't worry. You're far from it, ____," he spoke sincerely. "Quite the opposite of a burden, actually..."

This surprised you and peaked your curiosity. "I-I am?"

"Yes," Firion nodded. "You haven't been of any trouble to me. Even though you may think otherwise..."

"With good reason!" You laughed. "You treat me as if I need protection..." This was understandable, seeing as he found you in such a bad state.

Firion blinked before going in thought for a moment.

"Maybe somewhat. Does that bother you?" Surprised at his honest response, you shook your head.

"Oh no, not really. It's just that..." you trailed off in a timid tone. _One can't help but feel as if they're an annoyance to the... well, protector. But I must admit..._ "...It's very sweet of you," you quietly concluded.

There was no difficulty in saying the last part. Family aside, Firion was possibly one of the most caring individuals you've met.

Sure, you lived away from civilization and hardly saw new people, but still... even back at your hometown, Poft, it was somewhat of a rare thing to come across someone with such a feat. Especially whenever one did a favor for another back home, there always was a price to pay in the end. But with Firion, he wanted no such thing. And he could have killed you or robbed you blind from the very beginning, but instead he just...

A gentle look was sent his way.

_I still would like to do something for him though... it just doesn't seem fair._

Lightly flushing, Firion shyly lowered his head to you. "Do you plan to go back home now?"

You shook your head.

"I would like to look for more things before I go back." Firion gave you a look. He obviously felt uneasy about you being alone. "I'll be alright, I live really close to here! Which reminds me..." Hearing this seemed to soften his expression a bit.

But just barely.

"____, I still don't think..." He trailed off when he noticed you move closer to him, and shift your bag to rest a bit more in front of you.

An idea had popped into your head.

"Do you still have that potion bottle you used earlier? I was wondering if I could see it for a moment."

Looking at you curiously, he handed over the empty bottle. Accepting it, you spared it only a brief glance before opening it, and sticking the glass in your bag. Scooping up as much berries as you could, you pulled it back out, and looked at the newly filled container with a pleased expression. Closing it shut, you gently pushed the bottle into his hands. Watching Firion blink at what just happened had you hold in a laugh.

Hesitantly taking the gift, he examined the treat. And softly, he smiled. "...Well, I guess this explains what happened to your hand."

"Mhm..." Smiling in embarrassment, you closed the bag. "I wish I could do more, but... even though they're not much, I hope you and your friends like them."

"I'm sure we will. Thank you... this is more than enough," he reassured.

"No problem. I'm glad..." Feeling somewhat better about this whole thing with him not having to leave empty handed, you smiled at him. But now, without a doubt, you both knew it was about time to go separate ways. Adjusting your bag, you slightly turned to the side. "I guess this is goodbye for now then, huh?"

"It appears so. It was nice meeting you, ____." Firion looked to you with a gentle smile. "Be careful on your way back home."

"You too. And thanks again, Firion," you returned the expression. But when he turned to mount the chocobo, you nervously bit your lower lip.

You had still wanted to ask him a question or two, and knew now wasn't the best time. You knew you should have asked earlier, but were somewhat nervous about how he would react.

 _All I want to know is if he's fighting against the Emperor, and if he's some kind of warrior... I know I shouldn't pry into such things... but if I did, maybe I should only ask the last part?_ You added to the thought as your nervousness began to get the best of you. _How awkward would it be to ask the first part, only to find out that he wasn't? Though with that armor and amount of weapons, it should be easy to tell... but there's also the chance of him just being a really cautious wanderer, so-_ as if it would put an end to the thoughts, you lightly shook your head.

Looking up to Firion, you felt yourself gain a bit of resolve, and hesitantly spoke up.

"Firion...?"

Now mounted, he looked down to you curiously. The moment you both locked eyes, your resolve became slack, betraying you.

Your nerves had finally gotten to you.

"T-Take care of yourself."

After that was said, you felt your face somewhat heat up. You just had to back out and stutter at the last moment, didn’t you?

Firion shortly observed you with a chuckle. Hearing this, you shyly switched your gaze to the ground. “Shouldn’t I be the one telling you that?” He softly teased. “The same goes for you, __-”

Puzzled from the abrupt stop, you looked back to him just as he reached for something, eyes trained on a threat behind you. Alarmed, you turned around to face the intruder while grasping the hilt of your dagger. The moment your eyes rested upon the goblin, you hardly had enough time to unsheathe the weapon, for a knife whisked past you in a blur. With startled eyes, you watched as the knife pierced part of the creature’s chest. On impact, it let out a pained cry and it fell back into the grass, soon becoming motionless. A couple seconds of silence passed before one of you spoke.

“...Perhaps I shouldn’t leave just yet," dismounting the chocobo, Firion walked towards the fallen goblin. Once passed by him, you watched him kneel down to retrieve the knife. “I still don’t feel right about leaving you alone like this.”

Knife back in place, he rose to his feet and turned to face you. Hearing his words were like a double edged sword. It gave you a nice feeling knowing that someone aside from your parents cared for your well being, but you also felt as if you would become a burden eventually, despite what he said earlier. Even though in that last attack you weren’t really endangered, seeing as the goblin was still quite a distance away from you, the idea of becoming a damsel in distress was extremely repulsive to you.

 _Another moment later then I really would have been in danger if it wasn’t for Firion. I’m grateful for him being here, but... because of what just happened... maybe it would be best if I returned home?_ You looked to the sky. It’s still rather early... your thoughts quickly drifted off to your mother. It had been quite a while since the last time you've been away from her for so long, and even then, those times had never really been this long. It made you feel somewhat off. _I wonder how she’s doing? ...What if a monster got too close to home?_ At that thought, you came to a decision. Lowering your gaze to Firion, you spoke.

“I actually think I should go back now...”

Firion’s body visibly relaxed, though it would have been somewhat difficult to catch if you hadn’t been looking at him in that moment. And it was in this moment that you realized just how uncomfortable he was about leaving you alone. A soft warmth spread throughout your chest at the realization as it began to sink in. A questioning look appeared in his eyes at your decision, but he didn't question the sudden change of thought aloud.

"I'd like to go with you, if that's alright?"

Eyes averting to the ground, you couldn't help but to timidly smile at his desire to keep you safe. "Do whatever you like."

Firion gave a short nod.

Turning to the side, you lifted a hand up to point. "It's over here." He looked to the direction and nodded once more before walking to the chocobo with you in tow. When you got on behind Firion, you spoke again. "As long as we follow along the water, I should see something familiar, then it'll be easier to show you." Seeing Firion lean forward had you hesitantly wrap your arms securely around his stomach, not wanting to go through a little scare again.

"And if you see anything you're looking for, just let me know."

He kicked the creature's sides, making it let out a kweh before going off into a run. Somewhat going back from the pace, you locked your hands together and gingerly pressed yourself against Firion's back. You didn't want to be full on against him like last time. Doing your best to dismiss the memory, you looked over Firion's shoulder, watching your surroundings closely.

"No, it's fine. I'll just try to remember the way we came from if I see something..." _It'll make a good excuse to come back here_ , you thought, a small gleam taking your eye. Squinting, you kept your sight on the faint, distant land on the other side of the water. Just a little bit further, then you would be able see the area where your family came from Poft by boat.

He responded with a low hum. "If you insist."

You half smiled at that.

And slightly biting your lip, you tried to stop yourself from voicing that question you were wondering about...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Firion brings up the wild rose, it's a reference to the non rebel npcs who get asked about it, and they respond with "?". I wanted to give an idea as to how awkward it may have been for Firion trying to explain why he randomly said something like that xD
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the whole one shot is here ^^ And thanks for more kudos and another bookmark! Also my apologies for the delay. School and work have been stealing my attention... just a little bit longer until the term's over. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

When several more minutes passed, you sort of gave into the urge of asking by skirting around the question.

"You know... you sort of remind me of how a knight acts," you felt his body ever so slightly tense up when that was said, which puzzled you a bit.

"Is that so?" Firion felt you nod against him. "And what about me reminds you of a knight?" His tone brought some comfort in you to continue speaking at ease.

"Well for one, you have a lot of weapons," you felt small vibrations along your hands as he chuckled, which managed to relax you into speaking even further. "And you're like some kind of protector." After looking at the far off land for a moment longer, you looked towards the gentle waves pushing to the shore one last time. "You can take a right now." Firion nodded, turning the chocobo to the side before going into the forest.

"So how am I doing as a knight?" From the way he said that, you could hear a smile in his voice.

"Pretty good. Since we met, you haven't let anything hurt me," looking to the side, you watched the trees, along with the occasional monster who would try to pursue the two of you, only to give up moments later, pass by.

"I'm glad I can be of service, my lady," he chuckled, making your cheeks somewhat heat up. _My lady?_

You pressed your face into his back. Never having a man say such a thing to you before, you didn't know how to respond. Well, aside from your father when you were just a little girl, but... that doesn't really count. Even if it was nothing more than harmless teasing, Firion still had you flushing considerably. But from his tone, it sounded like he was just humoring you? You didn't know.

He glanced over his shoulder at you when you didn't respond, only to see the top of your head against him. You kept your face out of view, nerves only really displayed by the shift in your hold on his waist. This merely had the teen blink a moment before faintly flushing as he turned back forward while you looked around your surroundings for the next several minutes.

"You can go north east now." Firion complied as you went into thought. 

That brief conversation you had made you think about one of your desires.

To become strong like your father.

_And if possible, stronger than him..._

He use to serve under the King as one of his knights when you were a child. You lowered your gaze to the dagger at your side as imaginary battles drifted across your mind's eye. If you weren't careful, you'd slip into a deep daydream, and fail at giving any more guidance for the way home to Firion. Luckily, you managed to snap out of it.

"At this rate, we should be there in a few more minutes," you informed Firion over the footsteps of the chocobo. Pausing for a moment, you then added softly after regaining some calmness. "...How long have you been practicing with knives for?"

"It was something I picked up a few years back. How about you and that dagger of yours?"

After witnessing his skill, it shouldn't have been a surprise that he had some years of experience. Despite the sudden feeling of embarrassment from your lack of time with weapons, you tried to respond without some redness gathering at your cheeks. "I only have a few months on me. But if we see each other again, I'll be a lot more skilled than I am now." _Then you won't be able to see me in such a weak state again._

The young man slightly glanced back to you at those words. "I see... now that you say that, you reminded me of something." You curiously glanced up at him after that was said, and he quickly looked back in front of him. "Earlier, I was wondering about how you handle yourself in battle..."

You switched your eyes downward. "I'm not that good as of now, though..."

"You've made it pretty far on your own. That has to count for something." Firion faintly felt your head shake.

"I had to run from a fight," you frowned.

"That just means you've got a good head on your shoulders. Not many have enough sense to run when they should."

"But... I almost didn't."

Firion started slowing down the chocobo when a small clearing up ahead came into view. It was surrounded by trees and shrubs. Silent question filled your eyes as you came to a stop.

"But you did in the end, didn't you? Don't be so hard on yourself," the armored teen quietly observed the area for a few seconds. "Are you in a hurry to return home? If you don't mind, I would like to see you in action myself." In response, you carefully slid off the chocobo and looked up to him with a small, nervous smile. He chuckled. "Thought so. This won't take long."

 _Well, it seems like I'm not the only one who isn't in a hurry to get back... it's still pretty early though_ , you quietly mused as he dropped to the ground as well, standing right next to you. Turning around, you scanned the new surroundings while moving at a slow pace.

"So are you going to watch me fight a monster?" As you continued taking in everything, you took note on how peaceful it all seemed to be for the time being. "I don't think anything's here..."

"That's good. I was hoping to be the one you fought with." Hearing this had you stop in your tracks.

_Fight against him!?_

You quickly faced him. "Y-You want me to fight you?"

"You'll be a lot more safe this way," Firion walked passed you with the chocobo following behind him. After leading the creature to a tree, he stepped further into the area and you hesitantly went after him.

"What if something happens?" _What if I actually manage to hurt you? Or I hurt myself again?_ You looked him up and down, from each of his weapons to his armor that gave off a dull gleam from what little light that broke through the forest. When he finally stopped to look back at you, your watchful eyes were not missed.

He gave you a reassuring smile. "Then I'll heal whoever gets hurt. There's nothing to worry about."

You slowly came to a halt. Both of you stood almost ten feet apart.

 _I guess he's right..._ Giving a short nod, you cracked a smile. "If you say so, Firion..."

He reached for a knife along his leg, and you unsheathed your dagger after placing your bag on the ground. The moment you gripped the weapon in your hand, your nerves tried to get to you. Letting out a quiet breath, you started walking around him, occasionally giving the blade a spin or two around your fingers in an attempt to put you in the right mindset.

He kept his eyes trained on each of your movements as you did so. Soon stopping, you quickly rushed towards him. As you neared, you faltered slightly, but still went through with the attack, and swung your dagger at his shoulder. With a clash, he blocked the blade, then pushed you back before going forward, swiping for your stomach.

In the background, you could hear the chocobo kwehing at the display, clearly distraught by what was transpiring.

It was kind of distracting, but you managed to ignore it for the most part.

Evading him by twirling to the side, you reluctantly held your dagger out, aiming for his ribs as you turned to face him once more. Following your actions with calm eyes, he faced you as well, meeting your dagger with his knife.

As this exchange continued for a minute or two longer, it was soon drawn to a pause. Suddenly spinning your weapon to point downward, he then grabbed your wrists with a hand, startling you. Seeing how startled this action made you had him soften his grip.

"You're hesitating... but you did well," your eyes lifted to Firion's amber ones as he continued speaking. "And you said you weren't good?" He released your wrists and you sheepishly smiled while lowering your gaze to the grass at your feet.

"N-No, I'm really not that good at this. I'm actually surprised that I didn't stumble over myself," you shifted a small patch of dirt between the grass with your toes as Firion gave you a look.

"____... there's really no need to be so hard on yourself," he gently chided. "Now... think fast!"

Not even bothering to raise your head to see what he was doing, you just ran to the side. The sound of his knife cutting through air came to your ears as you distanced yourself from him. Slowing down, you turned around, now walking backwards. "I guess you're going to be more on the offensive now?"

A light smirk made way to his lips. "You guessed right."

He rushed towards you, so you stopped in place and waited for him to get closer. Silently praying you wouldn't mess up, when he got close enough, you moved to the side and turned to him as you continued to move back. When he was in your field of vision again, you discovered that he too, had turned, and slashed his knife at you. Surprise showed in your eyes for a split second before you quickly shut them in fear. And holding the dagger protectively out in front of you, you braced yourself.

_Clash!_

You successfully managed to block him, but now found yourself falling victim to gravity when you went too far back. Feeling a hand on your wrists once more, you were soon disarmed, and felt yourself pulled towards Firion. An arm wrapped around you to keep you steady, and now you were resting securely within his grasp, pressed against his armor.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that! Are you alright?"

From how close you two were, you were sure he could feel your fast beating heart. For a moment, you thought a repeat of training would happen again. _But then if it did happen, it wouldn't be so bad... Just calm down, you're okay..._ You told yourself as you gave an inaudible relieved sigh before humming a short response to him. The flushing Firion looked down to you in his arms as you tried to stand up straight.

Face slightly taking heat, you stepped away from him.

"Thanks for catching me... and see? I told you I wasn't that good," you joked. Now your blush increased because of your clumsiness.

He smiled. It seemed your shyness had lowered his down.

"You can still handle yourself just fine. I'm glad you know this much," he chuckled as your blush deepened and you looked to the ground. "Although we still have a lot to work on with you. Like your footwork..." Wrapping your arms around your middle, you put a little more distance from him by stepping back.

You felt a lesson coming on.

"When you block an attack, make sure your stance is wide and deep enough to stay in place..." You watched him get into a defensive position for a few seconds just to take in his form, before trying to mirror his front stance. Firion examined you quietly before moving closer to you. "Remember to keep both feet planted against the ground."

You looked to your feet as he moved behind you. You were leaning onto your front leg more while your back leg was kept straight, which caused your heel to be raised. You felt him nudge your foot forward with his so it was completely touching the ground. The teen then went in front of you.

"Hold your fist out and keep your other hand at your side."

Hesitantly, you did as he said. Soon, you felt him grab your wrist, and redirect it as close to the center as possible. Then he clasped his hand over yours, firmly making your fist tighter, leaving no small openings between your fingers. He then pushed against your knuckles, catching you by surprise as you went back slightly. Seeing you hardly move too far back had him give a nod of approval.

Firion lightly smiled. "Always remember to have your front stances like this."

With a small sense of accomplishment beginning to bubble up inside, you returned the expression. _Well that was easy._ "I will." Lowering your arm down after he removed his hand from yours, you returned to standing upright. "What other stuff is easy to learn?"

A warm, faintly playful expression came to him. "Well... never close your eyes in battle. Not even for a moment." Face heating up lightly, a small, timid smile revealed itself at his words, and your gaze averted from his. Seeing how you reacted when he pointed out what you did earlier had the warmness of his features deepen somewhat. "Just try to always hold your ground, but also know that it's okay to run." Nodding to him, you returned the gentle look. "Let's get you home now."

He handed you your dagger back and you gave him quiet thanks before sheathing it. Following him back to the chocobo, you finally decided to ask him what you had been wondering about. What did you have to lose?

"Hey, Firion?" Looking back to you, he slowed somewhat, giving you a curious look.

"Yes?" Now walking at his side, you peered at him.

"Are you a warrior?"

The bluntness made him pause for a split second. After a short period of thought, he replied. "I guess you could say I am."

Your eyes lit up in interest and wonder. "You guess...? So you're actually kind of like a knight then?"

Firion smiled at the tone you used and chuckled. "Not exactly. But if that's what you prefer..."

You hummed lightly before briefly falling into silence.

"Are you fighting against the Emperor?" Tersely, he nodded before carefully observing your reaction. Your eyes had seemed to glow with even more intrigue for several seconds before your brows faintly furrowed. "How is that going so far? I haven't been in town for a while now, so I don't know much of anything anymore," you quietly admitted. Aside from hearing about all the death and carnage when you did live in civilization, you hoped there was a change in the tide of battle.

Firion wasn't sure how much he should tell an innocent. Especially one as sheltered as you were. The answer would most likely cause some sort of distress. Thinking back to what occurred no more than a few weeks prior, his hazel eyes narrowed at the ground. Seeing this had your brows knit together and smile fade. Tilting your head a bit, you quietly watched him.

_I shouldn't have said anything. He looks so upset..._

"Not too well... but we won't give up so easily," determination burned in his eyes. "The Emperor will be defeated. I'll see to it." 

Not expecting a response like that, you looked at him in concern. It shocked you to hear someone say they'll be the one to end such a dangerous man.

It was unsettling. 

_He sounds so sure... what if he actually fought with him one on one, and ended up dead?_

If that were to be the case, then he would just be another number in the many, ever growing casualties. A heaviness sunk in your chest at the possibility of his early demise from the cruel Emperor himself. But then not too long after, the possibility of everything turning out okay followed closely behind the dark thought. Glancing to the side, you carefully watched him.

The warrior held a quiet pain behind those eyes, you now realized. He most likely lost loved ones because of this war.

At this point, it was very rare for anyone to have not lost someone yet. Even some of your own family in distant towns were laid to rest- your uncle and aunt, along with their little one. And the eldest, nearly a year your senior, had gone missing after the attack. This all happened months ago, and he was believed to be long dead... This was one of the main reasons why you wanted to get better at fighting. Lying beneath that timid nature of yours brewed a vindictive fire.

You didn't want to lose anyone else to the Emperor.

Reaching the chocobo, a frown had unknowingly made way to your face. You wanted to ask if he was alright, but by the look he had, knew he wasn't. You felt horrible for causing clearly painful memories to come back to him. What else did you expect would happen though, talking about such a topic? You felt foolish for letting yourself believe that even for a moment, things might have been going well. Quietly gathering your words for a few seconds, you soon spoke.

"I'm sorry. Bringing back pain was the last thing I wanted to do," a hand found its way to his shoulder. "I should've known bette-"

"It's alright. In all honesty, some things never leave my mind to begin with. You have no reason to apologize..." he lifted a hand to cover yours. "Everything will get better soon. I'm certain of it."

 _Some things never leave his mind to begin with...?_ Not knowing what to say to that, your gaze lowered to the grass. 

Hearing these words saddened you. It was now clear that perhaps he lost more than you once thought.

Not just a friend or a loved one...

Maybe he was one of the many to lose their home in an attack. If that was so, what could you say to bring even a fraction of comfort to him? At least he wasn't wallowing in self pity, and was actually trying to make a difference. Right? At least he believed things would get better. And they would eventually. Wouldn't they? 

Even if it costed him his life in the end. 

Even if he wouldn't be able to see it for himself... 

Feeling the corners of your hues begin to bubble with the coming sign of tears, you closed your eyes. 

"Just... be careful. I want to see you again."

In response, he gave your hand a soft squeeze before reassuring you with a warm smile and words to match. The warrior found your concern for him endearing.

"And we will. In this life or the next."

Being far too focused on not letting even a single tear slip, you completely missed how he brought the back of your fingers to his lips. The only thing you noticed was how he somewhat pulled you closer before leading you to the chocobo by the hand. Not too long after moving, you opened your eyes, and quietly observed his hand holding yours.

The next time you both got on the chocobo and you held onto his waist, you tried to be more... comforting about it. From what you read about knights and warriors, it was depicted that most of them didn't get much comfort. Not that they ever really complained about it or anything- but that wasn't the point. Even though he was putting on a brave face, you had a feeling he might have been using it as a cover.

After that conversation with him, you wanted to try and give to him a little of what the men you read about didn't have. And quietly, you wondered if he felt the change. When you began to move, you let your eyes close as you leaned against him. At least this way, you couldn't see the monsters passing you by. Unfortunately for you, these words were both true and false.

For the only monsters that could reach the two of you were the ones in your memories.

...

Coming to a stop by some shrubs near your home, you gave Firion a farewell squeeze for a moment, letting yourself press against his back. The action wasn't really any different from what you were doing the whole ride back, just a bit tighter. "Thanks for taking me back."

"No problem, ____..."

He returned the gesture by leaning slightly back into you and wrapping an arm over your arms. And so, you both stayed in this position for a short while, enjoying the other's warmth one last time before departing. Withdrawing from him, you lightly dropped off the chocobo with a small thud. Giving the furry creature one last rub, you looked to Firion.

"If you and your friends are ever around and need a place to stay, don't hesitate to come by," you told him with a smile and a wink, attempting to be lighthearted. "We can treat you better than any other inn."

"Better than any other inn, huh?" He smiled and raised a brow. "Do any famously endowed innkeepers live here?"

"You could say that," you giggled. Upon seeing the curious expression he had, you continued. "A distant relative owned an inn in Bafsk, so..."

"They passed on what they knew?"

With a playful smile, you shook your head. "Never really knew them. But the skill of the innkeeper runs deep."

"Impressive," seeing the warrior play along with such a thoughtful look had you laugh. "If we happen to be in the area again, we just might take you up on that offer. Until then..." 

Stepping away from him, you finished without missing a beat. "...Take care."

As you neared the door, you glanced over your shoulder at Firion for the final time and waved. He returned the gesture. Exchanging a last warm look with the other, Firion took his leave with the chocobo through the trees. Watching him for a moment, you soon went inside. When the door closed, you leaned your back against it. And staring at the ceiling, you began to get lost in thoughts of what just happened...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...If I first started writing this with the idea of it being a story in mind, I wouldn't have had Firion appear so soon. But at least now you see why the character likes knights so much. 
> 
> Because the father was one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long it took to get this out. Most of what you see here has been done for a while now, I just felt I should've added a bit "more" to it before anyone read it. And yet, I had trouble figuring out what more could be added... Coming back to read this chapter again, I'm actually somewhat pleased with how it turned out. It's even ten pages long ^^ This chapter was suppose to focus more on bonding time with your mother since as of the last chapter, you've only seen more of the father. But even then, it wasn't much...

Not too long after returning, your mother peeked her head from around the corner and smiled when she saw you. This smile soon turned to one of quiet inquiry when she saw the expression you had as you leaned against the door, staring at the ceiling.

Ever pleased to have her daughter back home, she wasted no more time in approaching you.

"I missed you, sweetheart," she held you close, making you smile. "I'm so glad you made it back safe..."

"Missed you too, mother..." Pulling back from the hug, when you saw her expression, your smile seemed to become a little timid. She started examing you to see if you had any scrapes and cuts. "I couldn't find any herbs, but I brought a lot of berries with me."

"Oh, that's alright," she smiled, fixing your hair with a hand. She always seemed to want you to look presentable, even behind closed doors. "What kind did you find?"

"Just blackberries and raspberries," turning your bag to the front of your body, you showed her your findings. With a quiet hum, a thoughtful look took to her as she tapped her chin with a finger.

"That just might be enough to make some jam and a pie... it's been a while since there's been any pie around, hasn't there?" she chuckled when she saw your eyes light up. "Would you like to help me make one before your father gets back? Or would you rather rest?"

"I can help right now, my lady," you said while slightly bowing to her with a playful smile. She returned the expression.

"Why don't you tell me about your day as we begin? I hope you didn't have any trouble finding these berries."

"Well..." Following her to the kitchen, you were hesitant to reply. You were nervous about this moment, not wanting to worry your mother. You were still, however, proud of what you achieved this day. "I had to fight a few goblins and leg eaters, but I didn't have much trouble finding the berries," you told her as she began taking out other supplies needed to make the pie.

After speaking, once again you found yourself under her gentle eyes. Her hues blinked in concern when they landed on a tear in your clothing. And quickly, you quelled her fears with a warm expression.

"It's alright, I'm not hurt," you reassured, pulling your pant leg up to show her clear skin. "It was a close call..." you felt bad for not being completely honest, but at least she wouldn't worry too much. And there was some truth in there since you actually _did_ cut it close with the soldier.

Stopping what she was doing, she approached you and got low for a closer look. You weren't expecting her to do this.

And what she said next had your breathing still.

"The way this is cut was done by a sword. Goblins don't use swords."

_...Uh oh._

Lifting her fingers up, she touched your skin. "The way your skin is mended together... was it with a potion? Or magic?" Her eyes began to narrow as yours widened. "Who did this to you, ____?"

How is it that mothers always know things? And how is it that she can tell you use to be hurt?

Noting how your heart seemed to have sped up, you quietly released a breath to try to slow it down. And then you just went out with it. No point in trying to hide it anymore.

"A... A soldier found me."

Your mother's eyes widened and all you could think to do was continue.

"He was over a bell away from here near the mountains. I ended up running, but he's still out there," you now held her hand in yours. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything... I didn't want you to worry like you are now."

She seemed to relax when she heard how far away he was spotted. To your surprise, when she next spoke, she maintained her composure rather well. And she gave you a disapproving look only a mother can give.

"You shouldn't keep something like this to yourself. Even if he is a little ways off from us, this is still a vital thing you need to tell us so we can make the necessary precautions." Regardless of it being told to you in a calm way, you still winced.

She was right. And you realized how foolish you were to try hiding it from them.

When a soldier of the enemy is found, it should always be mentioned to your parents. To keep things to yourself, worried about being kept away from the outside world even longer than you already felt you were... It truly was a selfish thing. Especially when it put the safety of your family at risk.

How could you not put that into consideration sooner?

You felt ashamed.

Averting your gaze from hers, you slowly nodded your head. "I understand. I won't let it happen again."

Falling silent as she took in your expression, it took a moment for either of you to do something. Feeling her finger under your chin, she made you hold eye contact with her. The warmth of her hues seemed to radiate from her. Seeing her kind eyes made you feel relaxed.

And then she softly spoke.

"You have no need-" she then looked at your arm, "to hide your injuries from us. Let alone me..."

You gaped at her.

"How do you...?"

The corners of your mother's lips slightly turned into a mysterious little smile. "When a wound is healed with either magic or a potion, the skin mends itself in an unusual way. Although it's hard to notice at a distance, up close is when the difference is truly known."

Blinking, you raised your arm to examine it. _I'm not able to see much of a difference..._ your puzzled expression seemed to spark a reply from your mother. "Well... I probably should have said only those with a trained eye can tell," gently ghosting her fingers over your arm as she spoke, she looked somber. "But I would much rather you remain unable to see the difference..."

Turning back around, she continued getting more supplies out with your eyes following her all the while. You trailed after her. "Wait. So how are you able to tell them apart from naturally healing ones?"

"That's because we're very similar, ____. Around your age, I got hurt all the time going out and about," she said with a nostalgic look.

Starting to help get things ready, you asked curiously. "Does that mean you wanted to see the world too?"

"I did... I still would love too."

"Then we should go someday! You, father, and I... we can see everything," you said with a dreamy smile.

"Oh, I've seen plenty already," your mother laughed sweetly. "But when you get a bit older... I wouldn't mind it. If you're starting to take out monsters now, who knows how strong you'll be in another year or two?"

"I'll be so strong, I won't even get hurt any more," you joked with a grin. After a few seconds went by, you quietly added. "And I won't let anything hurt you or father either..."

Your mother briefly stopped what she was doing to kiss your forehead. Pulling back, she murmured as she went back to rolling the dough. "...I am still wondering about the one who healed you."

"Oh!" Your sudden exclamation brought a look of intrigue to her. "There was this boy- well, man... he found me in- oh wait, the chocobo! I actually found chocobo, mother! They were so adorable!" You cooed. She smiled in amusement at you. Although something seemed to cause her smile to slightly falter.

"They are quite cute creatures, aren't they?" Seeing you nod happily, she continued. "Were you able to get close enough to touch them?"

"Yes! We even rode one!"

"'We'?" She inquired, prompting you to continue with what you were first going to say.

"We met after I ran away from the soldier. I eventually found a meadow with the chocobo and decided to stay there a while. That's when Firion appeared... I kind of pulled my dagger on him though. I thought he was going to try to kill me, but I was wrong..." You quietly trailed off, observing her reaction.

She was fitting the rolled dough in a pan. Seeing it hang over the edges, you grabbed a knife to help make it fit better by cutting off the excess dough.

"And that's when he used a potion?"

"Yeah. But not before disinfecting everything..." She raised a brow at this as you continued. "And then I think he used magic. There was this beautiful green glow... I've never seen anything like it before."

Your mother gave a thoughtful hum. "Normally when a potion is used, there isn't need for a cure spell. Unless the injury is too much for the potion to heal completely..."

"Maybe it's because he noticed how I was handling the disinfectant," you sighed, dodging her implication which may have been spot on. Judging on what she next said, the dodging of the words seemed to have worked.

"...Another trait I fear you may have picked up from me, sweetie."

Again, you sighed. She chuckled. You were still embarrassed about how you reacted. Taking the berries out of your bag, you put them in a bowl and went over to the sink to clean them.

"Well, at least he was concerned about you being in pain. This Firion sounds like a very nice man."

"He is..." you said with a small smile. "He was worried about me getting hurt by monsters, so he stayed with me. He even brought me back here."

"So you're telling me I could've _seen_ and _thanked_ the man who helped my daughter? Tsk."

The tone of voice she used made you giggle.

"I'm sorry, mother. I felt bad for holding him up. He had companions waiting for him... I even found out he's kind of like a warrior." Seeing the look she gave you, you immediately filled her in. "He said he was going to defeat the Emperor. That he'll see to it..."

Thinking about what he said still worried you. But oddly enough, knowing that someone else knew about him made you feel lighter. Especially since that someone was your mother. You felt so relieved, you even decided to tell her so.

A mischievous twinkle filled her eye. "So you were just going to meet a man, and originally plan on not saying anything at all?"

"W-Well... it's because he's a man." _And because father and you are so protective..._ "I didn't want you thinking anything of it..."  When you next looked at her, you could tell she was already thinking a little something along those lines.

"How old is he? Around your age?"

"Maybe two or three years older than me?" You really don't know why you answered. Deciding to try and change the subject slightly, you added. "When I first saw him, his appearance scared me. He had so many weapons and wore armor... he even sparred with me at some point."

"Did you win?"

"Of course I didn't," you laughed.

After that you both quieted down focusing on what you were doing. When you thought the berries were clean enough, you brought the bowl over to your mother. She had a smaller bowl out, and you started scooping some of the fruit into it. This would be for the jam you both planned to make later on.

The silence continued on for a little longer until your mother broke it.

"I was surprised to hear about the chocobo. I thought the Emperor brought an end to them."

"I thought so too. I never thought I'd see one in person."

"I'm happy you're experiencing new things, ____," your mother smiled. "You said you found them near some mountains? In the forest?"

Silently, you nodded before you both once again stopped talking for about a minute or two.

"...So other than having lots of weapons and armor on, what did he look like? Or did he have a helmet on?"

"He had a bandana... long silver hair tied back... and a blue cape. Was about this tall..."

"Sounds like one of those warriors you like reading about so much," your mother smiled.

"Yeah, he does... he was so nice. I really hope he doesn't..."

Rolling some more dough, she gently chided. "Try not to think about what could happen. You just saw him, yes? Take comfort in knowing that he's still fairing well."

Nodding, you then looked to her warily. "You're not going to tell father about him, are you?"

"I'll leave that part up to you, but I don't mind keeping it between us ladies," she winked with a laugh. "He should at least know about the soldier though."

Smiling, you gave another nod. "I can do that much."

...

Once the sound of the front door opening reached your ears, you snapped back to reality. Leaving the book you were reading on the bed, you darted out of your room. After going down the hall and jumping over the few steps of stairs, you soon dived for your father. Needless to say, your quick entrance caught him by surprise, but he still managed to keep a calm demeanor.

"Easy, ____," he chuckled, returning the embrace. "I take it your venture went well today?"

"It did," your voice was muffled against him. Taking in the scent of the sea from his clothes for a moment, you soon looked up at him and beamed. The happy expression you gave your father seemed to rub off on him. "I even fought some monsters! It was easier than I thought it would be!"

This made him blink in brief shock for a moment before he recovered. And affectionately, he ruffled your hair. "That's my girl... and with no injuries? Were you scared at all?" He said after taking a step back to carefully examine you.

"No... not really."

Aye, you agreed to tell him about the encounter, but not about you getting hurt. When you finished making things with your mother, you obtained the sewing kit to repair any rips and tears made in your clothes. Originally, you thought you did a decent job of covering things up. But after seeing his eyes stay on where the cut on your leg use to be for a second too long, you weren't so sure anymore.

"I had a close call, but I made it out okay. Had to sew this up because of it, though..." you murmured, giving him a better view of the stitches. With a low hum, his eyes narrowed at the cloth for a while longer in thought. You took in a slow, deep breath for what you were about to say next. "One of the soldiers from the Empire did it."

"The Empire!?" The raise in his voice made you flinch.

Quickly, you repeated to him what you told your mother. About where he was sighted, how far away he was, and that he's still out there somewhere. All the while you explained, his eyes took in every inch of your form. When you finished he didn't speak. Not right away, at least.

"...Did you know about this?" Looking to the side, your gaze soon landed on your mother in the kitchen doorway while your father's stayed on you. He was infuriated that someone from the Empire dared to try and take away his daughter. Your mother knew you didn't know what to do to calm him down, so she decided to step in.

"Yes, I know. Welcome home, dear," after making her way over, both of them leaned to each other for a brief kiss. Watching them together had you remember how you use to react as a child when you saw their display of affection. And as to be expected, your reaction was no different than most children...

_"Eww," you squeeled, shielding your eyes with both hands._

Thinking back to the memory had you gradually zone out. And as their conversation continued, you went further into your thoughts. Just how old were you when seeing things like this finally stopped grossing you out? One, two, maybe three years now? You weren't really sure.

Quietly watching your parents for a moment longer, you eventually drifted over to the window. By the time you came back to reality, it seemed like your father's quiet anger had been somewhat quelled. Your mother was always good at calming people down. Seeing it happen always made you want to be more like that too.

Gazing back through the glass, a dreamy sigh slipped passed your lips. Your venture went well, your father came back safely, and you still had both your parents during such difficult times. Not to mention your fighting ability had gotten ever so slightly better. And you did get to meet a kind warrior who aided you on your journey...

Despite almost dying once or twice, it was a good day.

Closing your eyes, you tried to savor the moment. And locking the memory away, you turned your attention back to your family when your mother called for you. Dinner was almost ready. You followed your mother into the kitchen to help get everything set up. Your father, in the mean time, changed into something more comfortable.

...

It was surprisingly almost a week later when you were next able to get away from home. Truth be told, you thought it would take much, _much_ longer for it to happen.

Last night, you had asked your father if you could have your dagger for the morrow, but you weren't really sure if he'd hand it over. You told him you wanted to train, that you wouldn't wander too far. You had tried asking once about three days back, but he refused... After knowing one of the Palamecian soldier's tried to kill you, you honestly thought he'd strongly be against the idea again.

It was to be expected of a protective father like yours, after all.

But to your astonishment, he acquiesced sooner than you thought he would.

Naturally, part of you did wonder what changed his mind... But afraid that asking about it would backfire on you had you keep your lips sealed. And to even more of your surprise, he even let you go along with him to his boat on the shore. It was only a few minutes walk away from home, so it didn't make him too uneasy.

After saying farewell to your mother, you both left with her watching your ever growing distant forms from the doorway.

"If anything shows up, just leave it to me," you said calmly.

"Oh?" Your words made his brows raise a bit and he chuckled. "Never thought my own daughter would become my bodyguard."

Holding your head all the more higher, you seemed to glow as you twirled the blade between your fingers. "Maybe I can do this everytime you go somewhere."

"Maybe once or twice a week, but that'll depend on how you return home."

"I know, I know..." you said, ceasing your finger movement when you almost messed up. Hoping he didn't notice, you glanced at him from the corner of an eye.

"...I saw that."

"I don't know what you're talking about..." the beginnings of a smile started to reveal themselves as you spoke. He could only shake his head at you before changing the subject, alert eyes moving to a bush up ahead that would soon be passed. Voice suddenly lowering to a murmur, he spoke.

"Remember what I said about always being aware of your surroundings?"

With realization dawning on you, you turned your attention back to the area. And sure enough, a goblin appeared from the brush your father had his eye on, catching you somewhat off guard. Luckily for you, you recovered fast.

Eyes narrowing slightly, you rushed the creature and gutted it in the stomach. The movement was so quick, it could only gape in a silent, breathless cry. Keeping your gaze away from the oozing blood, you kicked a leg out to hook around its own. And with a sickening sound, it slid off your newly coated red blade to the grass. Stepping away from the monster, you soon kneeled to wipe the blood against the greenery.

"What a swift finish," hearing him speak and feeling his hand on your shoulder caused you to be at ease. "You did well, ____."

His words brought a warmth to you. Refusing to look at the body, you looked to your father. He looked so proud... Seeing his expression had you smile a bit.

"So does this mean you can start training me again?"

Keeping his hand in place over your shoulder, he quietly watched you for a brief time before responding with a nod. But his hesitance caused a look of silent inquiry to come upon you. It caused him to give a somewhat sad, half smile. "Don't get me wrong... I'm relieved to have a daughter who can defend herself. I just wish you never had to use these skills."

You didn't really know what to say to that.

Trying to see this from your father's perspective, you imagined having a child of your own, born in a dangerous world like this. Sheltering them away from cities with the closest thing to peace being found only in the wilderness (better that than living with the fear of a possible attack happening at any moment while in a town)... you envisioned seeing them make their first kill.

Knowing that they had to kill anything at all at some point in their lives would without a doubt trouble you. The feeling that came with the thought... you didn't like it at all. But it made you wonder how your father felt after seeing you do just that.

Holding his gaze for a few seconds more, they soon lowered as you continued to ponder it over. Picturing things from his perspective helped you understand. But an odd question had come to mind... and you didn't waste time in relaying it to your father.

Finally moving along the path once more, you voiced the question.

"Is it weird that even though it tried to do something, I... I still feel kind of bad for killing it?"

Hearing the question had his eyes soften. He shook his head.

"No... I don't think there's anything weird about that," giving you a glance, he then lifted the back of his hand to your cheek, brushing a few strands of hair away from your face. Your hair must have gotten a little disheveled because of how fast you moved. "You have a tender heart, ____. Just like your mother. There's nothing wrong with that..."

You smiled at his touch. His response was soothing.

And then you both continued moving.

Before you knew it, the sound of waves gently rolling filled your ears. And then the large body of blue was in sight. Approaching the small boat, you watched your father ready his things while you stood on guard. When done, he turned to embrace you. "That haste you've shown me... be sure to use it in all of your encounters. Every second counts."

Nodding, you replied. "I should be back before three bells pass."

"You better be," he chuckled, ruffling your hair. "If I come back and you aren't there with your mother and more pie..."

Hearing him speak of pie made you laugh. You were glad he liked it so much. "I'll be there. She won't be alone for too long..."

Wishing each other well, you both then went seperate ways. But before leaving, you watched him get some distance away. Gaze lifting to the faintest silhouette of a town in the distance, you took in the sight as the cool breeze pressed against your form.

And slowly, your smile faded.

In the few times you watched him leave, the same thought seemed to run through your head. Each time, without fail...

_Will we ever live in Poft again?_

You never asked your parents this, already knowing the answer. But despite already knowing, you couldn't control the question from popping out of nowhere.

 _It would be when the war ended. When all of this death and fighting stop. When peace once again came to the land..._ you recited to yourself, as if reading a little passage from the story in your room.

_...But when would that happen?_

Eventually turning away from the water, you spared a glance at the trees. They were a sight you always saw, day in and day out. Being at the beach on the other hand, was something you were still not the most familiar with seeing. Deciding to stay near the tides for the time being, you started walking along the shore.

You were heading in the direction Firion and you were in yesterday. A small part of you hoped that if you backtracked, you would somehow come across him again. Or rather the other way around. After all, he was the one that came upon you. And if chance were to have it, perhaps he would find you once more... but you knew the odds were ever slim.

Firion had an important dream to accomplish. In order to see it through, there was no way he could linger in an area such as this for long. Trying to brush the thoughts away, you focused on your surroundings. You couldn't afford to get lost in these musings now, not when you were all alone.

_Besides, that was just a... chance encounter._

In life, you can meet the kindest people just once, and never see them again. This was the way things always had been and always will be. And sometimes, horrible things happened to the sweetest ones. Not to mention the thing he desires to see is something that comes with not only the risk of losing his life, but of the people around him as well.

 _Maybe, for my own sake, it would be best if I just didn't think about him anymore. But that will be hard since everything just happened._ After that thought finished, you felt as if you were betraying yourself. The path he walks is of the most dangerous kind... and it was one you often daydreamed about. Minus the high chance of losing more family.

The loss you already endured caused your eyes to become distant. And as you wandered over the sand, your pace grew slightly slower.

Your aunt, uncle, and cousins didn't deserve the hand fate dealt them. The sound of the tide lapping at the shore became all the more further away as you thought of your late relatives. They, along with so many other people, should not have had to meet an untimely end.

Life could be such a cruel mistress at times...

The sight of your mother heartbroken over the news ran through your head. Seeing her usually smiling face in tears was a sight you would never forget. You could only imagine the pain she went through, losing her sister... That was something you would never have to experience since you didn't have any siblings of your own. At the moment, however, the vivid imagination you had been gifted made you feel what you thought your own mother had felt.

Only managing to pull out of the thoughts after realizing you were starting to cry, you blinked away the tears. Then you cursed yourself.

 _I really can't afford to be distracted right now. I have to get better at staying focused._ Thinking about your family had only succeeded in making you feel melancholy. And then the anger gradually set in. Posture straightening, you seemed to walk with more of a purpose.

To prevent anymore loss, you had to get stronger...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for almost half a year of nothing with this story. At least it's not like one of my other stories on fanfiction that hasn't been updated in almost two years...
> 
> I'm a horrible person. 
> 
> And school and work are unfortunately taking up most of my energy, so when I do have a day off, I just want to take it easy. But rest assured, I haven't given up on this (or my other writing).
> 
> I'm wondering about how dark I should make this story though...

After having been gone for what felt like three bells, you were ready to return home. You got more than enough training in today, dealing with weak monsters and what not.

Like so...

Avoiding the leg eater's attack with a side step, you brought your dagger down upon it's head. The sudden impact caused it to crumple to the ground, immediately becoming still. Taking a moment to observe how the sharp edge embedded itself between the creature's green skin and thorns had you wince.

You really did it this time.

The force you used seemed to crush the head somewhat in. And to make the sight even worse, thick blood and other innards started squirting out when you tried to remove the blade. Seeing this happen as the horrible stench of its insides wafted through your nose almost gave you the urge to throw up.

Quickly bringing a hand up in a weak attempt to block the smell, you tugged even harder at the dagger.

_Just get out already!_ Once the struggle with retrieving your weapon came to an end, you ran in the direction of home in disgust. _I don't think I'll ever get use to going through that,_ you thought, darting between trees. It was a scary thing to see... and as you continued moving, a sense of regret somewhat came to you.  _Maybe I shouldn't... I'll try not to hit them that hard next time..._

Fighting goblins and leg eaters was beginning to seem unfair to you now. They were the weakest sort of creatures to encounter, and you felt like you should try seeking stronger beings to target. Unfortunately for you, you didn't know where to find the next best thing. The only other thing stronger than them you encountered was that soldier the other day.

_And as I am now, he would kill me,_ you frowned.

Slowing to a jog then a walk, you looked at several of the trees you passed by. One with a thin cut along its bark caught your eye, and you made your way towards it. A little light feeling made way to your gut.

You knew the area looked familiar.

The cut was one of many you made a week ago. The only one of the many you found as of today.

Letting your fingers glide over the indent as you passed by had you faintly smile with guilt. You felt kind of bad cutting so many trees. _At least something finally came out of it... but I thought I'd find more by now_ , you thought, leisurely moving through the brush. Suddenly giving pause, you stilled before glancing over a shoulder.

You were now staring in the direction of where you encountered the soldier.

And the chocobo.

Gaze lifting to the sky, you eyed the position of the sun carefully.

You still had time to venture a little further. And if you found the chocobo again, you could ride one back home instead of walking. _Mother would be able to see it too,_ knowing that seeing one would make her day just as much as it made yours had you smile. And if she saw it with you riding upon its back...

You had to stop yourself from daydreaming after that thought.

Yeah, you'd probably come home somewhat later than you said you would... But letting her lay eyes upon something that was thought to have been killed off would without a doubt make up for the late arrival. You weren't able to let her meet Firion, so you could at least do this much for her.

Turning fully in the direction, you continued the journey.

And hey, maybe if you turned this into a habit, you could try to find greens for the chocobo every time you went there? _But that'll be hard since I've never actually seen them before. And I have no idea where to even search for some to begin with..._

At least it was a nice thing to think about for a few seconds.

   
...

 

 

Well... this wasn't right. Maybe you took a wrong turn? 

_I should have been there by now..._

Despite thinking this, you still continued.

 

  
...

 

  
Your intuition was telling you to go back. That you made a wrong turn.

But the curiosity of the unknown ahead of you was the only thing pushing you to keep going.

_...As long as I don't go too far, seeing new areas should be okay._

 

 

And as for how you knew this was new terrain?

You had a run in with a new plant.

 

Not too many minutes ago, you saw some greenery with small clusters of white flowers on them. You thought they were just normal flowers at first... but started thinking otherwise after a while. Upon closer inspection, you realized it could be a plant known as the water hemlock or spotted cowsbane.

It had several more names as well, but the only thing you could really remember was what some of the symptoms were and how poisonous it was. So poisonous that it could cause death in under half a bell. Even the slightest of grazes was known to cause some sort of illness.

And that was all you really needed to know.

It was too risky to even be near the damn thing, so you immediately distanced yourself from it. The further you became, the more you felt like how you did when you were dodging that soldiers' attacks.

Relieved.

Well, at least until he got your leg. But ignoring that little detail...

After coming into contact with those berries on your last outing, you had more than enough of poisonous things for a good while now.

Trying your hardest to move as silently as possible, you brought a hand to press against the bag at your side. It was the only attempt you could make to quiet the slight sound it made every time it brushed against you.

Throwing a brief look over a shoulder, you stared at the plant and the trees and brush around it. You made a mental image of the sight and turned back ahead after trying to imprint it into your minds eye. And then to the left of you, marked a tree before walking by it. You were sure you'd remember this place now. However, if you were still unable to...

 

Then what will soon come to pass will surely engrave the image into your being.

 

...

 

Perhaps you should have taken seeing the potentially poisonous plant as a sign. You weren't completely sure if it even was water hemlock... and that uncertainty could symbolize the unknown you were seeking. The danger that lies behind your decision of going on these little outings.

New terrain, new plants... now that left one more new thing. You were sure you could guess what it was.

After a while longer of walking, something floating caught the corner of your eye. And slowly, you turned your head to look at it in quiet interest and slight unease. Immediately, you pulled out your dagger when your gaze locked onto its red ones.

You've never seen this one before.

It had a big green rounded head with spikes sticking out from the top. If it wasn't for the color, it would have resembled a flame even more than it already did. Its unblinking gaze and menacing looking mouth was... intimidating. Getting in a defensive position, you waited to see what the monster would do. Watching it float eerily in silence from side to side, it seemed to be observing you as well.

_Being pinned with its eyes like this..._  

It didn't feel good.

You had a really bad feeling about this.

_Then again, I had the same feeling about goblins and leg eaters, and they turned out to be really easy to handle. This one might be the same as them... but as long as I focus, I should be alright,_ you tried to reassure yourself.

Hesitating one final moment before going in, you dashed towards the creature. And with your dagger raised, poised to strike its large hovering head, something horrible happened. Close enough to be in its range, it seemed to start lighting up from the inside.

_Is it able to use fire!?_

Your eyes widened in horror and you tried forcing yourself back with your dagger held protectively in front of you. Knowing this position would never be good enough to defend against any flames, you then tried going to the side. Since it still hadn't sent any spells your way, you thought you had time to evade its magic.

But it wasn't trying to cast a spell.

Seeing it now emitting more of the brightness from within through its crimson eyes had you tremble as you tried to increase distance. The creepy smile on its face now seemed to be rather mocking as it watched your attempts to escape its range. Seeing the fear and nervousness in your expression made you wonder. 

_Were these monsters even capable of understanding that much?_ Seeing it look the way it did at you made you convinced it did.

Then it self destructed.

And you were still close enough to feel the pain.

Far too close...

The sound was almost deafening and the force of the explosion threw you back with a pained cry. You went airborne. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as your vision now showed only leaves and branches through smoke as you flew back. You still hadn't landed and were in somewhat of a daze. When you finally did touch anything, it was your head hitting a tree.

Spots of black and red gradually spread across your sight as you made the rest of the way to the dirt...

And you blacked out before even feeling the earth at your back.

 

...

 

  
Regaining consciousness, you winced through closed eyes when you tried to move. Your head was ringing and your arms felt so much pain. Parts of your legs were suffering the same feeling as well. As you tried to remember what happened, your hand twitched at your side.

Unable to control your hand as the memory slowly returned, your heart pounded against your ribcage. The more you came to, the more the pain made itself known. You brought a weak hand up to the back of your head with a grimace.

It was pounding almost as much as your heart was.

Everything your body was doing right now scared you. And when you opened your eyes, the fear only increased. Instead of seeing the greens of leaves and browns of branches, your gaze met darkness.

Instantly, you shut your eyes.

It made no difference if they were open or not right now...

Bringing an arm up, you covered your face as the pain slowly became worse. _My parents... I have to get back. They trusted me to get back safe... but it hurts so much. How bad does it even look?_ Did you truly even want to know? A voice asked from the back of your mind. Without thinking, you answered back. 

_I... I do..._

Eventually realizing that you responded to yourself made you all the more aware of just how messed up you really were. And hesitantly, you reached your twitching hand to the arm over your face. Gently, you felt the skin.

The texture didn't feel good.

It seemed like some parts were peeling while others had blisters. The skin felt thick as well. You've seen burn marks, but never felt them before. If you were to match the feeling to what it looked like, this would have to be it. And knowing that it fit only succeeded in scaring you even more.

Beginning to shake, you decided to take some time to try and soothe your mind by just laying there. This unfortunately didn't really do much for you.

You sniffled.

_Oh gods, no..._

There was no way you were going to cry right now. Even though it hurt so bad, you willed yourself to reject the tears. Out of all times, now was probably the worst time in your life to get emotional. _It would just make things worse..._ you tried to reason as you gave one last little sniffle.

If your father was back by now, you knew he would be looking for you. And if he wasn't...

Knowing how worried your mother is gave you a surge of energy to try sitting up. Inhaling, you did just that with a wince. Once up, the dizziness had you wanting to lay back down again. But you had to persist...

After another minute or two of letting your eyes get use to the dark, you lowered your hues to your arms. You could faintly see some discoloring. Imagining how mad your parents would be was enough to make you almost tear up.

This whole ordeal made you angry as well.

_If I had just took it out instead of backing off, maybe things would've turned out differently_ , you glared at your arms. After some time of quietly fuming had passed, you made yourself take a few deep breaths.

If you wanted to make it back home safe, you had to have a calm head...

And then you heard some kind of creature howling quite a ways off. The way it echoed through the forest made you all the more uneasy. And quietly, you stared in the direction of the sound for a while without moving.

_Being calm right now is going to be one of the hardest things I ever had to do... but this is one of the things that comes with the life I always dreamed about... Isn't it?_ That thought helped bring you some comfort. _But still... even though it's scary..._

Hearing another howl in the distance had you focus more on your surroundings. How everything seemed so much more quieter... the sound of the wind drifting through the leaves, brushing together lightly...

_Hearing the leaves and wind is kind of soothing,_ you looked up at the canopy of gradually growing darkness overhead. Feeling around, you searched the ground for your dagger. And during the search, your hand accidentally brushed against your bag in the process. You breathed in sharply.

_...So my hand is hurt too, huh?_

Turning your attention to the bag, you carefully opened it and gingerly stuck your hand inside. After getting hurt last time, you made sure to take some bandages with you, but you weren't sure if they were enough to cover all of your injuries. Suddenly remembering Firion disinfecting your wounds had you still and your eyes widened.

Getting these treated was going to hurt so much more than it did last time.

Taking in a shaky breath, you pulled out the only two bottles you had and set them down. At this point, your sight had gotten somewhat better so you could tell the water and antiseptic apart. And closing your eyes, you took a moment to ready yourself.

 

...

 

Wrapping up your final arm with twitching fingers, you succeeded in blinking away the last of the tears as you weakly tied it off. Sighing, you rested the back of your head against the tree gently, careful not to upset the injury on your scalp.

There was dried blood... you didn't know how bad it was though. _But what else is new?_ You thought as you lifted a bandaged arm to look over. And then your stomach growled. A small, bitter smile took to you as you remembered something.

"Looks like I wasn't able to find any berries either..." you murmured tiredly. Now there wouldn't be any pie when you got back.

You felt like such a failure.

 

...

 

After reflecting on the days events as you tried to rest for a moment, you soon forced yourself to a crouch. On the way up, you finally saw where your dagger was laying off to the side. Reaching for it, you once again sheathed it back in its place at your hip.

Something in your mind told you that you should at least consider yourself lucky for not getting cut by it when you were thrown back. You knew it was true, but since it reminded you of one of your other failures, you tried to ignore it.

And being sure to take it slow so as not to get dizzy again, you rose to your feet. Now swaying a bit, you stayed still in an attempt to become steady before taking your first steps forward. Almost immediately, you stopped and looked ahead.

_So if I was heading this way and got thrown back over here--_ you turned to the side to look that way. If it wasn't for the darkness, it would have been so much easier to tell just how familiar it was. But you were sure the way you came from was this way.

Lazily tilting your head to the tree at your back, you unsheathed your dagger to cut it in an X.

_This can symbolize me being knocked out,_ you darkly joked with a grimace. Cutting into the bark kind of hurt. And then you finally moved as silently as you could in your effort to make it back home alive.

As you moved, your mind drifted to the chocobo. Just like it had in the beginning of this journey. You still wanted to take one back to show your mother... and your father too.

_And after everything that's happened, it would be easier to get back that way..._

But at this point, even you knew that them seeing one would probably not have much effect in quelling all of what you were putting them through this very moment...

It made you have a heavy heart.

The thought you had the last time something of the like happened taunted you in the back of your mind. Except this time, there was no one here to heal you. They would see your injuries to there full entirety. It made you stop in place for a few seconds.

Afraid of how they would react still made part of you not want to return...

These thoughts never ceased to bring you shame.

...But your mother still managed to find out that time. She even said she was like you too. And you not being able to handle pain that well comes from her. It kind of brought a sad smile to you.

Remembering your talk with her had you finding the will to move once again.

 

...

 

The first opening to the chocobo field was in view now. In just a few minutes now, you'd be able to be near the gentle creatures and then everything would be alright. Relief filled you at that realization. Your legs weren't too badly hurt, so you decided to lightly run the rest of the way.

After a few minutes, you finally saw the last opening to the little meadow and slowed down as you passed through it. As you stepped through, you instantly felt the change of how high and soft the grass was. And with the trees no longer blocking the sky, the area was lit in a gentle light from the moon.

Seeing everything at night like this was so nice... and seeing the chocobo in the distance brought you just as much comfort as it did your first time being here. You breathed a relieved sigh and let out a happy smile as you approached them.

Some shied away like before while two or three seemed to remain in place, just watching you. Until one of them kwehed at you as it decided to move slowly over to you as well. Extending a hand to it, it soon froze.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. Do you remember me?" You asked, gently beckoning it over with a hand as you stopped moving. It tilted its head while staring at your hand, then looked back to your face and kwehed. "I probably smell weird cause of all the medicine," lowering yourself to the ground, you sat down with a sigh.

Getting here tired you out more than you thought it would.

Seeing you sit down had the chocobo try to approach you again. Except this time it was all the more slower and taking more pauses each time it looked like you would move. Smiling, you remembered how Firion spoke with them trying to earn their trust. You decided to continue talking to them.

"Were you the one that took me back home or the first one that let me get near? You were the one that fell asleep, aren't you? ...It's okay, you can come closer," you said softly, raising your hand once again to it. It pressed its beak into your hand which made you laugh. "I don't have any food this time though. I'm sorry."

It kwehed, sounding disappointed again. You giggled.

_So this is the first one._

Giving you both time to get more familiar with each other, you pet it gently. At some point, you even stood back up, and got close enough to rest your head against the golden feathers again. They had a nice sheen to them under the moonlight.

Staying like this for a while longer, you continued running your fingers through its softness. It was as if you were waiting for a certain blue armored warrior to appear through the trees...

_I should leave now. I've wasted enough time already... my parents... I need to hurry._ In truth, you were only here long enough to take a little breather. Under different circumstances you would have remained longer... but you had a family waiting for your return.

Lifting your head up, you made sure to meet the chocobo's eye for a moment as you gave it another rub. And then you moved to get on its back, which turned out to be so much harder than you thought it would. Especially since your arms weren't in the greatest condition right now.

It kwehed at your pained expression and moved away a bit, making you sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I'm trying to go back home... and I could use your help to get there," you reached out to pet it again. Looking back to the rest of the chocobo for a moment, you soon glanced back to the one you were attempting to ride. You felt bad trying to separate it from its own.

No matter how brief as the time may be...

Seeing you try to get on again and fail had one of the other chocobo eventually decide to lower itself for you. Did it want some attention too? Feeling some warmth because of the action, had you give it a hug around the neck. And softly, you rubbed its head. It kwehed as you pulled away to get on.

Was this the one that took you back?

When it rose, the rate of your heart slightly quickened. The motion made you kind of dizzy again, but you were okay for the most part.

_When Firion did this, I think he held here?_ Awkwardly, you held onto some of its feathers. _I hope I don't tear it out..._ Petting it once more, it took its first steps with you on it and kwehed. Getting ready to go, you firmly held on, and adjusted your position to leaning more forward.

Now you were just suppose to kick it... and you hesitantly tried. But nothing happened. It just stood there.

"If this hurts, I'm so sorry," you gently told it before trying again somewhat harder. Seeming to get the gist of what you were trying to do, it started running. And you immediately leaned a bit more down as the speed increased.

 

...

 

Having left the opening to the chocobo meadow, you tried to make it go straight, but it seemed to go right instead with a loud kweh. The way it decided to go wasn't off from how you first found the place, but you wanted to go straight.

If you had, you would be going to the ocean instead of following the curve of the mountain. So like this, it might take longer to find your way back instead of following along the shore. Petting the feathers with a hand as you clung onto it with the other, you started getting a bad feeling.

It was probably from seeing the few monsters you had already passed. It was creepy seeing them at night trying to go after you both. But what was even creepier was feeling something hit the chocobo, and hearing it let out the most frightened and pained kweh you ever heard. It wasn't enough to knock either of you over, but it still freaked you both out.

_I thought nothing could attack us if we went this fast!?_

Before you could even get a good look at what caused the assault, the chocobo turned tail the opposite direction and ran. The only thing you caught a glimpse of was a sword. And it made you tremble in fear.

One of them was here.

A soldier of the Empire.

The chocobo was hit with a sword.

And it wasn't running as well as it use to.

After running a bit further when you were sure the threat was left behind, you tried to calm the chocobo down. "H-Hey, let's stop here... let me take a look at you," it took a while but eventually it stopped. And you wasted no time in getting down. Despite being lightheaded yourself because of all of this fast movement, you tried to focus on the creature.

The poor thing was so scared, it completely missed running back through the opening to get back to the meadow. And you didn't blame it after seeing the injury. The upper leg was hurt, but it didn't look to be too deep. But it was enough to obviously cause trauma to the chocobo. It wouldn't stop shaking...

Knowing that using antiseptic on it would cause it to try running away (or possibly kick you), you opted to just using water on it before bandaging it. Running a hand over its head, you tried to soothe it. "Once I get you bandaged, I'll take you back. You'll be fine... everything's going to be alright..."

Pulling out the rest of your water, you began tending to the chocobo's leg. With a few kwehs, it shifted around as you did so.

"I'm sorry you got hurt trying to help me... you did good escaping him. I don't know if it was the same one, but a guy like that almost got me once too..."  
When you felt the wound was clean enough, you put the last of the water back before trying to take out what remained of the bandages. Before you could even start wrapping the injury, you saw the chocobo lower its head inspecting something.

Looking to the side at it, your eyes eventually landed on some kind of plant. It only stood out because of the white on it. And the chocobo was smelling the greenery. Stopping to look around the rest of the area, a sense of severe dread took to you. Turning back to the plant, you saw the chocobo trying to eat it.

It was the water hemlock.

You dived for the clustered flower, pulled it out of the chocobo's hold and threw it as far as you could into the darkness of night. What you did caused a distressed kweh to come from the chocobo.

"It could be poisonous! If it is..." _what do I do!? I don't know how to treat poison like that!_ "You might..." trailing off, you stared at the hand that touched the plant. If it really was the deadly flower, now you'll endure the effects as well. Unlike the chocobo though, you probably wouldn't die since you didn't try to ingest it.

But even so... the effects themselves were horrible. Nausea, vomiting, cramps, delirium, numbness and so much more.

_And wasn't most of the poison in the roots? I just... I just uprooted it..._

You trembled.

_Wait, wasn't that another one of the symptoms of poisoning? Trembling? But I've been doing that even before this happened._ You thought back when you came to after that monster blew itself up, and your hand wouldn't stop twitching. _Maybe nothing will happen..._

Then you tried to list a few of the symptoms you already had. Aye, there were already a few. But from this point on, you weren't sure if it was because of your injuries or because you touched a deadly bloom. Tremors, dizziness, weakness... at least neither the chocobo or you had painful convulsions yet.

Sending a worried glance over to the chocobo, you only saw it shaking. You didn't know what to think of it. Moving closer, you tried to give it comfort. If only there was a way for you to understand the creature... but there were just one too many additional factors going on for you to try analyzing either of you.

This was probably why people shouldn't give themselves a self diagnosis. _Too many problems share the same symptoms. And speaking of problems_ , you looked warily in the direction you came from. _I think I hear something coming..._ The two of you seemed to freeze in place as the sounds of heavy armor grew louder and louder.

With the sudden adrenaline rush, the chocobo and you wasted no time in getting out of there. It even seemed to lower itself so you could get on easier before sprinting away.

And this time, you were going towards the sea, just as you wanted to before. If only you tried turning directions earlier... or at least followed your intuition a bit more.

 

...

 

Around a fifth of a bell's time had passed and you found yourself along the shore. Familiar land was in sight and there was no danger nearby. But the chocobo's status was gradually becoming worse. It had begun to do odd movements. Almost as if it were dodging incoming attacks that were not there.

It was... hallucinating.

As were you.

Your hallucinations however, were nowhere near as extreme as the chocobo's were. At least you assumed they weren't... but these creatures scare so easily. Just a moment ago, you thought you saw a soldier in the distance to the right of you. When you did a double take, nothing was there.

"Or maybe I'm just hoping it's a hallucination, when he actually was there?" You muttered nervously, not really knowing anymore.

When a few minutes more had passed, and you hesitantly looked back to the right side. You gasped so hard, you almost choked on air. It made you dizzy... and it took you a moment to regain your composure.

There, in the green meadows, was your older cousin who was thought to have been lost. He was only there but a moment before he was gone. Soon, your expression became blank as you stared at where he use to be.

And there was only one question going through your head at this time...

 

 

What else would you be seeing tonight?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a year without another chapter... my apologies. This chapter was kind of a hard one for me since it helps set certain things into motion. Sorry if it bores any of you.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos! :) I'm surprised... Again, I have to say I never thought this story would get this much. But with the new Dissidia now out for everyone, I've noticed this has obtained a tiny bit more attention. And all of the warriors look so nice~ 
> 
> I'm so happy it exists because now I can actually see more characterization from Firion :D I just wish there were more scenes... dlc is my only hope for this to happen.
> 
> I hope some of you enjoy this ^^'

Bringing the ever hallucinating chocobo to an eventual halt, you dropped off its back to the grass. The dizziness seemed to have gotten worse for the both of you. Keeping a hand over the creatures' side, you spoke gently as you tried to lead it closer to your home. After hearing what happened to it, you were sure your parents would let the chocobo stay the night.

"We're safe now... you did so good," you softly cooed, stroking the feathers. 

Slightly slowing when the dizziness seemed to spike, you brought your other hand to your head. As if sensing what occurred, the chocobo kwehed at your side. In return, you gently scrunched up its feathers with your fingers. But before you reached the door, it swung open, startling you both. And following the fast motion with your eyes caused you to be more disoriented and end up closing them.

"____! Thank the gods you're all ri-," your mother gasped. 

Curious about the expression she was making, you looked at her. Only to see her much closer than she was a moment ago. With her hand on the side of your head, her thumb gently brushed along your temple as she examined you. 

"What happened!?" 

It was rare to hear her voice raise like this. The tone had you wince.

Seeing how afraid she looked made you feel all the more guilty. And not wanting her to look at you any further, you closed what little distance remained to wrap your arms around her. Immediately, you felt warm arms wrap around your weakened form. The embrace was so soothing, you almost gave into the ever growing drowsiness, and very nearly sank to the ground in her hold.

Hearing a kweh from beside her caused your mother to finally acknowledge the second presence. The chocobo was now resting on the ground. Glancing up at her, you half smiled as she regarded it with a bewildered look. 

"It helped me get back. Thought you'd want to see it..." you were beginning to allow yourself to slip away. You knew it was because of the security of being held in your mother's arms. Trying to hang on to consciousness for a while longer, you told her of the creature's status through closed eyes. "It... It may have had spotted cowsbane..." 

"If that's so, then it won't be easy to tend to. I assume you are under some of its effect as well?" 

"...I don't think mine's as bad." 

She didn't respond. 

Enough time had already been wasted.

Feeling her guide you into the house, you followed wherever she lead you while you still could. She brought you to your room and had you lie down. Heading for the door, she spoke. "I will do what I can for it after I make sure you're well."

Before you could even reply, she slipped through the door to her stash of medicine. Shutting your eyes with a grimace, you brought an arm over your face. Your head wouldn't stop pounding. And worrying over the chocobo's well being as well as your parents reaction when this cooled down didn't help ease the pain in the slightest.

"Ugh..."

Hearing your mother rush around other rooms of the house, your breathing gradually became more even. Just a little bit longer and you would have fallen asleep. But with the sound of the slight creak in the door, you forced your eyes open to look at your mother. 

With a small cloth in one hand and a bag in the other, she was at your side in seconds. Slightly propping yourself up to make it easier for her, she scolded you for moving. In response, you held the back of your head and quietly turned to show a bit of the damage to her.

Taking in her reaction all the while, you murmured an apology while lowering your hand hesitantly. Making a 'tsk' sound, she gently dabbed the wet cloth at the injury. Bringing it to a sting, you cringed. 

"Thankfully it's not too bad," she quietly assured you. "Even so... what am I going to do with you?"

Despite the pain and dizziness, you smiled sweetly at your mother. Then moving on your side, you let your eyes slip shut to finally rest.

 

...

 

When you next woke, small rays of light shined in your window against your bed. It gave your room even more of a peaceful air. Turning somewhat more on your side to stare at the golden beams, you felt a faint pain in the back of your head. The movement even made the soreness through the rest of your body once again known. 

Then you remembered yesterday.

Wincing, you pushed yourself up and moved to leave your room. You had to see if the chocobo was well. Running through the hall and down the steps with a swiftness you had yet discovered until this moment, you almost ran into someone.

"____! Slow down!" Immediately feeling a hand on your shoulder to stop you from running outside, you whirled around to face your father.

"Is the chocobo okay!?" 

Placing both hands on your shoulders, he gently hushed you. "She's doing as well as can be expected." 

"What do you mean by that?"

"She's all right for now." It was unreal how fast hearing those words soothed you. Feeling you tremble had your father straighten up and give your back a pat. He had leaned down to get a little more to your level. "When you next see her, you should try to have a calm mind. Animals can sense when a person is shaken up. It could even effect the healing process..."

Looking at him in surprise, you tried to do just that. "Really...?"

"Aye," your father nodded. "She still seems to be a bit jumpy from time to time, but was resting up last I checked. Best not to get her even more riled up."

"How long ago was that?" 

"A few minutes before you came charging out of your room."

With an awkward smile, you shifted your weight onto your other leg while looking away from him. "I just had to know if it-- _she_ ," you quickly corrected, "was okay."

Your father gave you a ghost of a smile. "Well, she's a strong one. You can lay your worries to rest."

A relieved sigh left your lips. 

And as you started to calm down, you began to note the feeling of bandages wrapped around parts of your arms. In your haste, you forgot about them. Lowering your gaze, you took in the beige colored cloth. When you tended to yourself, you weren't exactly neat about the wrapping due to the circumstances. But seeing how evenly it was done, it could be no other than your mother's doing.

At the corner of your eye, you saw his hand lift to lightly graze the back of your head. Feeling his hand move to under your chin, he had you face him. Pulling you into an embrace, he held you close as you returned the gesture.

"Sorry for worrying you..."

"I know you just woke up, but you still have yet to tell either of us what did this to you."

"I ran into a new monster. It was floating and was like a ball," you murmured against him. "The top of its head kind of reminded me of flames."

You felt your father hold you a little tighter. 

"And it exploded," he said, feeling you nod against him. He couldn't help but imagine what you had experienced. "Gods... just how far did you go?"

"I didn't go much further than I did last time," you tried to reassure him. But knowing that wasn't really good enough of an answer, you continued. "I went past the mountains opening where I found the chocobo. I planned to take one back to show you and mother... but it didn't go like I wanted..." you weakly smiled for a moment before letting it drop. 

There was still the soldier you had to tell them about.

"After fighting the exploding one," unbeknownst to you, your father winced at your choice of words, "I had to go back and find where the chocobo were again. I..." needing a bit more time before telling him, you decided to say something else. "I also got a lot better at fighting goblins and leg eaters." 

"Huh. I see my daughter is turning into quite the bladeswoman..." And as if knowing what you were doing, he called you out on it. "But as proud as I am to hear that, I know you're stalling, ____."

You didn't respond right away.

"...She got attacked by a soldier on the way back. I never thought that would happen. I heard how they were too fast to get hit by anything."

He went tense and silent for a moment.

"That does seem to be true for the most part. But the wound on her leg looks too much like a direct hit," hearing this had your eyes widen. "Were you running towards the enemy?"

There was a beat.

"Kind of... It was so dark when it happened though," _It sounds like you already knew..._

"Oddly enough, I can see you trying something like that. I'm glad to know that's not what happened," both of you now pulling away from each other, you gave him a look of inquiry. 

"I thought you'd be more mad...? Did you already know?"

"I know a sword strike when I see it. And goblins don't normally carry that type of weapon," he said with a stern look. 

After hearing this, you remembered your mother said the same thing when you came back that first time after getting hurt. _Goblins don't use swords..._ you came close to face palming. Maybe you'll remember next time. But about him not being mad? 

A wary look was given to him.

"I'm waiting until you're more well rested."

Seeing where this was going, you spoke. "And to heal with more ease, I need to be calm."

Your father only nodded. "We'll continue later. Until then, go back to your room. Food will be ready soon."

Immediately, you turned on your heel and went back up the steps and down the hall to your room. When he says things so brisk, it usually meant he was trying to control his anger. How were you suppose to stay calm after knowing that? And after everything that happened?

After entering the room, you threw yourself onto your bed. You knew it would hurt, but you didn't care. It was a way of punishing yourself for letting things turn out like this. Sighing into your pillow, you closed your eyes. All you could do now was hope for a speedy recovery, then this could all be behind everyone.

If only that was how things turned out.

 

...

 

Later that day, you went out to be with the chocobo. She seemed okay, but you weren't completely sure. Sitting near her, you gingerly ran a hand along her feathers. Taking a moment to avert your eyes from the recovering creature, you observed the area. It was nice... tranquil. The sounds of birds chirping could even be heard occasionally in the distance. 

That was a good sign.

Turning your attention back to the chocobo, you murmured words of comfort to her. You felt bad that she had to remain out here while being injured and getting over her ailment. Remembering how she reacted with her sudden jerky movements last night had you ponder once again about the soldier. That, and somewhat hearing what your parents were talking about, made recounting the memory all the more vivid.

Like you, they wondered if he was the same one that attacked you the first time. But despite these musings, your father wanted to take action, and find the bastard before he did anything else. They knew you were outside, but they didn't know you left the door cracked just enough to hear what was being said.

"This should be dealt with as soon as possible. There's a chance our home might finally be discovered if things continue as they are."

"I know... I've thought about that as well," there was a thoughtful pause. "But, say you were to leave and hunt down this monster only for him to strike when you aren't here. And what if there are more than one? It's been a while since I've had my share of battle, I don't know if I'll--"

"Do not doubt yourself so easily, Freya. To this day, I will never forget when we first sparred. When and if the time calls for it, I believe you will be able to fend off whatever dares to threaten ____ or you..."

You did not need to be in the room to know your mother was smiling warmly at your father. 

With a faint smile, you idly imagined your parents training together. _I wonder what kind of weapon mother uses?_ Before getting lost in a daydream, you stood up and rolled a shoulder as you once again looked around.

With all this talk of possibly being attacked again, and hearing past mentions of sparring, you felt a strong urge to train. To move. To do something. For the memory of what you hallucinated last night was coming back to mind. And it was not something you wanted to dwell on...

Eyes stopping on a tree nearby, you walked to it. Analyzing the branches, you picked the one closest to the size of your dagger and broke it off. Doing so did make you feel slight pain, but it was okay. Now giving yourself distance from the tree and the chocobo so as not to bother it, you imagined seeing your father fight. 

Taking a stance, you gripped the branch with both hands. Before beginning, however, you readjusted your position to the way Firion showed you. And once again remembering the way your father moved... your training began.

 

...

 

Raising the branch over your head, you double stepped forward and swung down, then returned back to position. Continuing the motion for as long as you were was agitating your injuries, which you disregarded. 

Deciding to move onto something else, you went back to standing how you normally would as you thought about what to do. _If something tried to attack me with the first move... I'd block it like this._ Stepping forward in a front stance, you rose the stick horizontally above your head. _And if they were too heavy, I would just--_ acting as if it really was your dagger, you kept your right hand on the hilt while your left moved to add pressure to where the blade would be.

Stepping back to normal standing, you then repeated the move, but stepped backwards into the front stance instead. This went on some more times until you heard your father. "You should be resting, not training, ____! You're not well enough to do this yet!" 

Upon hearing him, there was some hesitation in your movement before you finished it. You really didn't want to stay inside, let alone in bed, until you got better. You intended to do these movements until you felt comfortable enough with them. You had to. 

You continued.

"I'm fine," at this point, your arms were aching all the more, but no pain showed in your expression. "In time, I'll get use to it."  
And in time, you will. You knew this... as did your father.

In some apprehension, he observed you. "You still need time to heal. This has gone on long enough."

Slowly, your movements ceased. Keeping your back to him, you looked to the dirt and grass. You planned on continuing, but going against his word made you feel a sort of heaviness. It was annoying. Trying to focus on something else, your mind wandered to your other audience. 

The chocobo.

She was still near... and was in plain sight if only you were to turn around. You didn't want her to sense your irritation. She didn't need to see it. You had no problem with ruining your healing process. But messing up hers? That didn't sit well with you.  
Instead, you decided to tell your father why you were doing this.

"I need to talk to you... but I don't want to make her uncomfortable," you murmured, glancing at the chocobo. You didn't want to look at your father yet.

His gaze followed yours in understanding. He gave a low hum of approval. At least you were heeding his words from before well. "Lead the way."

And so you did.

 

...

 

After going about a minute or two through the trees and shrubs, you soon stopped. Glancing down, you slightly lifted the branch you were still holding and shifted it a bit in your grasp. You were still trying to find the best way to word what you wanted to say. Knowing this, your father gently urged you to speak. The tone he used made you a bit more at ease.

"Tell me. What's on your mind?"

 _A lot of things..._ A bitter smile briefly came to you. Then you spoke of what you saw without anymore hesitation. "I saw my cousin last night. The one that went missing. He was in a field by the water, just watching me."

Not expecting you to say anything like this, concern washed over your father's features. He then spoke. "Effects of the cowsbane..."

"I'd like to think it's only that. But I kind of wonder if it's possible to be so sick, you see what you normally aren't meant to. Some people believe that... don't they?"

"Hm... some do. Who's to say if it's real or not though? Keep in mind, there are some who also see things that make no sense at all. Remember how that one man was so sick, he believed he saw a giant kupo nut try to eat his niece? He was screaming at everyone to eat it before it ate her," he chuckled. 

If at any other time this was brought up, you would have laughed a bit too. But with the image of your cousin still in mind, you were unable to do so. What if he was still alive? Or was he really dead? It was something your family will probably never get the answer to. Wanting to no longer think about him for the time being, your mind went back to that man. 

_What were kupo nuts anyway? And didn't he speak of moogles as well? Whatever those were..._

"Didn't he get beat by someone for that though?"

"Aye, that he did. That he did..." The way your father said that made you crack a smile which you felt bad for doing. As for the man, he was beat before anyone found out he was ill. But still...

Spinning the branch between your fingers, you went silent. Soon, a hand rested on your shoulder, quietly urging you to continue. Slightly turning to him, you carefully complied.

"Training can be... a good distraction."

"So is reading," he added, making you scoff. He continued, "Or perhaps playing an instrument?"

The last part kind of peaked your interest, but you refused to show it. Judging by the way he was responding... it didn't seem like he was taking you seriously enough. Your brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Reading and making music won't help me keep you and mother alive. I don't want to just sit around getting lost in daydreams and stories... I can only fool myself for so long." 

This took him aback. Seeing the reaction had you reveal more of your thoughts.

"As of now," raising your hands, you looked at them, eyes lingering longer on your bandaged hand as you spoke. "I'm too weak to keep anyone safe. I don't want to lose anyone else..." 

Hearing these words caused your father to shake his head.

"You shouldn't be putting that kind of pressure on yourself, ____." Placing both hands on your shoulders, he warmly spoke. "Is what I would normally say... but that would do little to no help. Now would it?" 

Your gaze lifted to his in silent question as your hands lowered. 

"Your mother and I. We both worried about how you were handling everything. The war, something completely out of yours and everyone's control... I knew you were just distracting yourself from it by hiding away in that book of yours. We both knew that. And now after losing family, you seek strength. Keeping us alive is something you feel you have some control over... is it not? Just as we felt we had control over your well being by doing things the way we did." 

Eyes slightly widened, you opened your mouth in an attempt to speak, but no words were to be found.

"But try as we might to prevent it... all who live are meant to die one day. This is one thing in life that is guaranteed, yet is what many find difficult to accept."

You had no idea how to respond to this. And what could be said?

His words were true.

Watching you with a somber warmth in his hues for a moment, he soon took in a breath before releasing it. He then straightened up. "We should go. Your mother's probably wondering where we are." 

Only replying with a nod, you both then turned to walk back home as you gathered your thoughts. After that conversation, it was clear that there was more of an understanding about why things were done the way they were. And if that look he gave you was anything to go by... perhaps he was still trying to accept what he told you as well.

Getting closer to him, you wrapped a bandaged arm around his arm, and leaned your head against your father. All of these things happening as of late made you feel worried. Especially the encounters with the soldiers... but at least for now, things were calm. Letting him guide you back home, you watched the leaves above move with the gentle breeze.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, I applaud you. 
> 
> I started this right after the last one was posted, and somehow finished in a few days. It's rare for me to do this so soon... but it was surprisingly an easy chapter to right, even though it's a lengthy one. And for baring with me this long, you have my thanks.

When your father was about to leave for Poft, something out of the ordinary happened. Exchanging looks with one another for a moment, your parents soon turned to glance you over as they spoke in hushed tones. You were by the steps, curiously watching them from afar.

_What are they talking about? And why are they looking at me like that?_

Since you got injured days ago, you had remained at or near your home. Understandably even more concerned after learning of your encounters and hallucination, your father brought back some potions and medicine. And the chocobo, despite having a potion used on her, was still recovering.

Aye, she was now able to stand, but she had a bit of a limp when she moved. Until the creature was able to run at the full speed she had when you first rode her, she was to remain at your home.

Giving you one more careful look over, they moved to the kitchen. Staring after them for a few seconds, you almost turned to go to your room. But feeling something tell you to remain where you were had you linger.

Now leaning against the railing with crossed arms, you tried to listen to what was being said. Unfortunately, nothing that made sense came to your ears. When they finally stopped, your mother appeared at the doorway with a strange look on her face. It was as if she was assessing you. She then closed the distance.

Lowering your gaze from her expression to what she was holding in her hands, you eyed the scroll in silent question. _It looks very old..._ Your hues lifted from it to meet her eyes again, neither of you still saying a word. This strange behavior from your parents had intrigued you. And seeing that it all seemed to stem from this mysterious scroll made your curiosity all the more peaked.

She handed it to you with a little smile.

It had been a while since she last saw you light up with such interest.

Gently taking the parchment from her, you examined it more thoroughly. Upon closer inspection, it looked like it had seen better days. The edges were tattered and cracks appeared here and there on the paper. Unrolling it, a dusty kind of smell filled the air, bringing your nose to a scrunch. It made your mother snicker.

Slightly smiling because of her laugh, you took in the first line of words. After reading the next line, your expression had become blank and your heart skipped a beat. _This text..._ You were in disbelief. Were they really going to allow this? With now bewildered eyes, you looked from your mother to your father leaning against the frame of the door, noting how you reacted.

"It's about time you learned," your mother said, gaining your attention once again. Her words took a while to sink in, but when they did you started to beam.

"Thank you!"

She returned the smile. "Your father isn't really one for tomes and scrolls... So in this regard, I will be the one to teach you. We'll see if you have an apt for it."

 _So this is something father isn't really good at?_ You looked to him in surprise. As if knowing what you were thinking, he spoke.  
"Hopefully you'll take more after her," your father nodded before pushing himself from the frame. "I'll be going to Poft now."

After bidding your farewells, he soon left. And turning to your mother, you observed her.

"I can't believe it... you've been a mage all this time."

She chuckled. "I wouldn't really call myself a mage, it's just something I've dabbled in from time to time."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because magic can be a very dangerous thing. And you seemed so intent on learning how to fight with a blade, I didn't want to set you off that path."

"I wouldn't have minded that," you smiled at her. "If I knew it was an option, I probably would've went with it first."

She hummed in thought for a moment. "Well... it's good that you have some knowledge and experience on melee fighting. That's a nice thing to start with before getting into spells and what have you."

Thinking over your mother's words, you eventually found yourself agreeing with her. And it wasn't like training with your dagger started years before hand, so it wasn't even that big of a deal. Hence why you didn't really feel _too_ cheated.

"That's true..."

Moving to sit on a step, you gingerly held the scroll, not wanting to bend it in any way. Looking over the lines of text some more, you let the pads of your fingers slowly trace over markings on the sides of the parchment. The way the thin lines weaved and curved was similar to the design on your dagger sheath.

Your mother sat next to you as you did this.

"So with this, I'll be able to cast blizzard..."

"I thought it would be a good start for you. If anything were to go wrong, I'd rather you accidentally freeze something instead of burning it."

You fake pouted at her. "I have yet to start and already you doubt me. I'm hurt."

"Actually," responding to your act with a pinch of the cheek, she turned her attention to the scroll as did you with a wince. "Perhaps we should take this lesson outside."

Nodding to her, the two of you then rose to your feet and went out the door. Walking a little ways away from home and the chocobo, you both now stood surrounded by trees. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, you found yourself smiling once you were encircled by the greenery.

Your mother did not miss on your reaction to the environment change. "...Since you enjoy what mother nature has to offer so, I feel that it might be easier for you to catch on to things out here. But first, I want you to watch me."

Giving her some more space, you observed how she lifted a hand with her index and middle finger pointing up. She then began to chant. The more that words flowed from her lips, the more crisp the air seemed to become. And with a chill, she swiftly moved her hand to the side, casting a giant spike of ice over the open space in front of her.

When it collided into the ground, it immediately broke into pieces with a loud shatter. You couldn't help but stare in awe at what you just witnessed. _Dabbled she says. I had a feeling she would be amazing at this,_  you voiced this thought to her.

This had your mother smile and give a little laugh. Soon turning to you, she then spoke words of guidance.

"Those swirling designs on the scroll... when you attempt this, I want you to imagine energy moving in you like that. Depending on the element you want to use, you need to think of how cold or hot it will be. The chant I used helps to maintain focus and call the ice to your being," she glanced at the scroll in your hands. "I want you to be able to recite this by memory."

"Will do," you nodded, glancing at the scroll. "But is it possible to use magic without having to chant?"

"Yes, some people are able to do that. Of course, it takes a while to get to that point and the length varies due to how skilled the person is."

"That's a relief..." it seemed like a liability, so knowing that with enough training it wouldn't be a worry anymore had you smile a bit. One day, you wanted to do that too. As you walked over to a tree, your mother spoke.

"If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Now sitting with your back pressed against the bark, you nodded to her before studying the incantation. After going over the lines several more times, you unconsciously began mouthing the words. Seeing you take this as seriously as you did your dagger training had a pleased look gather in her eyes.

Leaving you to your studies, she went over to check on the chocobo.

... 

It had been nearly an hour since you started and you had successfully memorized the chant. Having already taken a liking to books and other readings, this was no surprise for you. Yes, when you checked if you were pronouncing things right, you had to be corrected every now and then... but once you got it down, being able to say your first spell by memory was fulfilling.

Then you imagined how nice it would be to cast one. And now that it was memorized, you wanted to give it a try.

Glancing at the kitchen window, you wondered if you would catch your mother watching you. She said she was baking things, so you knew she was checking on you from time to time at a distance. Not seeing her had you hesitantly raise your hand in the sign to begin channeling magic.

Following her words of advice from earlier, you pictured a light blue color swirling and weaving in your stomach. You then imagined the cold of winter... with your vivid imagination, this was simple enough. Letting this happen for a minute or so longer, you eventually chanted the incantation.

"Nandis' anta del ie shol'ta vern a shinta do rey glacies, do rey glacies..."

Continuing until the chant was finished, you waited with still breath. Yet nothing happened. Unphased by this, you closed your eyes and tried again...

And again...

And again.

Alas, nothing happened.

When several more failed attempts had passed, you found yourself thinking of the story ever by your bedside. You thought of how they trained and didn't always get fruitful results right away. _This is okay,_ you reassured yourself. And it wasn't like you expected much to begin with, especially coming from someone like you.

 _But still, it would've been nice..._ you thought dreamily.

When you next tried after thinking this, you felt a gradual chilly breeze drift around you. It had your eyes open in surprise, but it faded away when you became aware and looked at the area.

Could that have just been the wind itself?

You did not know.

But regardless of whatever caused it, you still continued to try manifesting ice. What just occurred only managed to encourage you to go on. And when the next attempt caused hints of frost to linger in the air, it made you gasp. As small as it was, it was enough to amaze you.

Quickly, you tried to will yourself to calm down. When it came to things like this, you already knew it was best to be at ease. Reading those stories you loved taught you just as much. Once relaxed, you continued, and waved your hand to the side like your mother had done earlier. Similar results of seeing bits of the cold made itself known.

And watching this through the kitchen window, your mother couldn't help but feel proud.

After being at it for almost three hours, your mother came back outside to tell you to take a break for lunch. Not knowing she had already seen what you could do, you showed her. Of course, she scolded you for attempting magic at the table, but seeing it up close had her unable to hold back a smile.

When done eating and having to drink two glasses of water, you went back outside to continue what would surely become a new habit. And at least this way, she was able to have peace of mind by knowing where you were when you were out there.

...

It was late in the afternoon now.

You had taken about three more breaks up until now, and were beginning to feel kind of tired. It was a given this would happen since you were going at it for hours now, but you had a lot of lost time to catch up on. You felt the need to make up for all the time spent being inside since moving from Poft.

"Nandis' anta del ie shol'ta..."

Finishing the chant, you watched as several tiny shards of ice appeared in the small cloud of cold. It evaporated seconds later. And taking in a breath, you started once more. As small as the progress was, it was a good thing to see. Despite the growing dizziness, little by little, you were getting there...

When you did go back inside for the evening, you were a lot colder than you were when you started. Especially your hands.

Having been too focused on training, you failed to consider that this would be a side effect of using ice magic. Before this, you always imagined when elemental magic was used, the caster would be immune to it. You were starting to discover that some sort of exchange for that power was occurring.

 _So if I ever become really good at using blizzard, depending on how often I use it, maybe I'll be more prone to frostbite while fighting with it._ It was an interesting thought.

Musing over this had you remember what your mother said about magic being dangerous. This thought lingered even more when you saw her light the fireplace with a fire spell. She silently watched the flames for a few seconds before glancing at you with a gentle look.  
She beckoned you to sit with her.

Mirroring the expression, you approached her and sat down. Seeing you faintly shiver had her make a soft 'tsk'. Getting up to take a blanket from a chair a few feet away, she then came back, placing it around you. Giving her quiet thanks, you looked to the flames, becoming somewhat enchanted with the way they danced.

Then a random thought came to you.

 _I wonder how many times magic backfired on someone. What's the worse that can happen?_ Voicing this question to your mother, she shut you down real quick.

"Since you're new to this, I don't think hearing horror stories would be a good idea."

_...Horror stories?_

Upon hearing her response, your expression became unreadable. Unfortunately this was all you needed for your imagination to go rampant. Luckily, these thoughts didn't last long. There was also white magic to think about. And since your parents hid things from you, you felt the need to ask...

"Do you know any white magic?"

"I do not," she replied with a sigh. "White magic is something I've always struggled with. Your grandmother, on the other hand, was more inclined to it."

"I see..." you didn't really get to know her since she died when you were little. All you had to go by were random bits and pieces you got while growing up. Your mother didn't really speak much about her mother, and you never pressed her for more information.

The two of you continued talking about magic for a while longer. How much your mother knew, how long it took her to learn spells... You found out she was almost a teenager when she started, and was told she was a bit of a fast learner when it came to black magic in particular. This went on for quite a while until she looked out the window to see how dark it was. Some worry seemed to reflect in her gaze briefly before she hid it away.

"I suppose this will be one of those times where your father comes back later than usual. If not late in the night, then in the morning," as you followed her gaze to the window, she kissed your forehead while adding. "You should get some rest now."

"Yeah. It probably is," you gave a half hearted nod. "Okay..."

Lifting an arm up to hug her, you averted your eyes from the glass to the door. It was weird that he wasn't back yet. Rising from the place near your mother, you quietly looked at her. _She's probably going to wait and see if he comes back tonight._ Noting the concern she tried to hide, you gently spoke.

"...I can stay up with you. If you want me too."

She shook her head with a smile. "No, sweetie. Go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Reluctantly, you obeyed and went to leave the room. But not without thanking her for teaching you. Going up the steps and down the hall to your darkened bedroom, you had your hands lifted in front of you to keep all walls and doors at bay from hurting you. It had been a while since you tripped over something, and you wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

After blindly making your way in and over to your bed, you let yourself collapse on it. Today was a tiring day. You even had a headache for some time now, but for obvious reasons did not want to reveal it. Mentally, you were overworked. Maybe even a bit dehydrated from trying to summon so much ice... but you ignored all of these signs.

_Why can I be so stupid at times? And father... I hope mother's right._

If something happened to him, what would you even do? What could you do? Without a boat, if you did go looking for him you would have to walk to Poft. And who knew how long that would take? Or what kind of monsters would be in the way... and what if you got lost? You seemed to be somewhat prone to that. And with your magic ability just beginning, what enemy would be brought to an end with cold air and specks of ice?

 _I'm still too weak to do anything without my dagger... and I don't even have it with me,_ you lamented into your pillow.

Wanting a distraction from these troubling thoughts, you rolled over onto your back. Trying one last time wouldn't hurt too bad. Staring at the ceiling in quiet contemplation, you soon attempted another spell. You wanted it to appear near the window, but failed. It didn't take long for you to flinch and feel colder and slightly wetter. You wiped your face with the back of a hand.

Doing that while laying down was a bad idea.

As your head pounded even harder, you wrapped your arms around yourself a moment before crawling under the blanket. If circumstances were different, you might have laughed at how that just turned out.

"Why do I do this to myself?" You asked aloud while trembling.

Moving on your side, you eventually shut your eyes after getting more lost in thought for a time. If not for the concern for your father and the thriving headache, you would have fallen asleep much more easily. But the thought of morrow brought an uneasy feeling to you. And when morning did arrive... your father still wasn't home.

It wasn't like this was the first time something like this happened. Even so, it was still always unsettling, and caused the worst thoughts to come to mind. _Was Poft attacked? Is he hurt?_ These thoughts worsened when it became the afternoon.

Having been training for a few hours, you were now sitting with the dozing chocobo, idly petting her. And currently, your eyes had been glued in the direction of where he usually came from for a while now. You wanted to go to the beach and see if his boat was in the distance, but with nothing to fight with, thought better of it.

In some amusement, you even toyed with the idea of going with the sharpest knife you could find in the kitchen. It sounded like a good thing to use, but you weren't sure how well your mother would like that. _Not very much, I imagine,_ getting up, you turned to look at the front door in thought for a moment. _It couldn't hurt to ask though._

Going inside, you went to your parents bedroom to ask for her blessing in using a kitchen knife in your defense. As expected, her expression showed great disapproval in the question. Clearly, you underestimated how much attachment she felt for the dining utensils.

"Absolutely not. That silverware is an ancient heirloom in this family, it was not made to be used for battle!"

She was generally a calm, gentle person, but when it came to things that had to do with family... she was very passionate about keeping things like heirlooms untarnished. And this silverware was supposedly a rare set that was split with some relatives in Bafsk.

Regardless of the history, you tried to reason with her. "But without my dagger, I can't do anything! So if father doesn't come back or we get attacked..."

"There are other means you can use, ____," leaning down from her seat on the bed, she slightly lifted the long skirt she wore to reveal a knife strapped to her leg. _You even use knives? What else do you hide from me?_ "As for your dagger... when your father goes to Poft, he doesn't carry it on his person." _He doesn't?_

"Then where is it?"

She didn't respond. And the answer seemed to click in your head.

_Maybe it's been at home all along. Hidden away somewhere..._

"Mother... even if I always had it, I wouldn't just leave whenever I wanted. And if I did have it, your knives would be spared," you teased playfully, despite feeling a bit hurt by how much they hid from you.

If only your parents had a little more faith in you. This, along with all of these things coming to light made you feel like they didn't trust you. _At least they let me start learning magic,_ you tried to reassure yourself. It kind of worked.

"...That's not the only thing that concerns us."

"Then what is--"

_Crash!_

Immediately, you paused with a jump. Exchanging worried looks, your mother unsheathed the knife with her left hand and rose from the bed. It sounded like a window broke.

"____, go to your room for a moment. Get your bag." Seeing the serious look in her eyes made you not question her.

 _Are we going to run without a fight?_ You didn't like that thought, but it was an idea your family considered if the situation called for it. Then at least you could come back later and rebuild your home. But this depended on what kind of enemy were to come upon the location.

Running down the hall to your room, you retrieved your bag. It didn't take long for your mother to come in and place a potion inside it. When she saw that some disinfectant and bandages from your last outing was still inside, she nodded in approval.

"If the worst should happen, I want you to run," handing you your dagger, you quickly tried fastening it around your waist. And meeting her gaze, you matched her intensity as you spoke.

"Not without you. If it gets to that, you'll come with me. I'm not leaving you."

"Take your belongings while there's still time," she murmured, throwing a glance at your book before leaving the room.

Going over to the small table, you put the book inside. And looking around the rather bare room, your eyes went to the scroll on your bed. It was placed in the bag as well. When your mother came back again, she put several more things in the bag, but you didn't pay much attention to it.

Lots of noise could be heard from the kitchen. _So it was the back window they came from._

Not having anymore time to gather things, you finally put the strap of the bag on a shoulder. Since only light items were placed inside, it was at a manageable weight. Now hearing heavy footsteps in the other room, you were about to unsheathe your dagger, but were stopped with a hand.

"I'll get their attention and distract them. Stay hidden," she whispered. Not liking where this was going again, you were ready to reject the idea. But when you heard the rest of what she had to say, you paused in consideration. "If you see any openings from behind... get them."

Anxiously biting your lip, you peeked out the door again. They were in the front room now, so there was no more time to think of anything else.

You nodded.

She went into the hall and stayed close to the wall as she moved. When the target was in sight, you watched as she brought a hand up into a sign and began chanting under her breath. From your position, you could see the far wall of the front room faintly light up in a soft blue. This soon disappeared as the sounds of ice breaking and a pained yell filled your ears.

He growled. "Show yourself, mage!"

Quickly, she started to chant before he got up the steps and casted more ice at him, bringing him to a stumble. It was a soldier. And it looked like your mother was giving him a hard time. Some of the ice had even managed to impale his armor. You stared at her in awe. 

_She's amazing!_

Taking advantage of him regaining his stance, she placed her hands on the railing and lifted herself over it, now in the front room.  
Completely unaware of your presence, he turned around to go for her. When the danger of being seen in his peripheral vision was gone, you went into the hall and moved to get a better view of the fight. Now peering around the corner, you observed the situation.

It was reassuring to see your mother near the door. And after summoning more shards of ice to strike him, she reached back to open the door, taking the fight outside. As he followed, drawing nearer to her, you went over the railing and slipped into a crouch.

Silently unsheathing your dagger, you stood and approached the armored swordsman with narrowed eyes. You intended to stab him in the neck. _I just have to wait until he's out the door... then I'll do it..._

If you somehow messed this up while he was still inside, you would most likely end up cornered. You couldn't risk that. Hands beginning to tremble, you slowly raised the dagger with the tip aimed at him. When he finally stepped a few feet past the door, you rushed him.

Embedding the blade into the back of his neck, you remained in place for a moment as he made a noise between a gurgle and a scream. Hearing it gave you chills. Seeing his blood trickle down your blade, you pulled back and ran past him to your mother.

Sharing a smile with each other, you soon saw hers immediately drop. Her serious expression was once again in place, catching you off guard. Turning back, you watched the now kneeling soldier with apprehension and shock.

"How is he still alive!?"

Quickly murmuring another spell, this time the monster was hit with flames that bursted from your mother's hands. He cried out as his armor heated up, making him more of a furnace. Seeing him finally fall to the ground had you both cautiously stare at him with some doubt. Was it truly over?

Unfortunately, it was not.

Hearing something cut through the air behind you, a cry slipped out of your mother. Eyes widening, you looked over and saw her grasping a hand at her shoulder. Blood had began seeping out between her fingers and she was now panting. And the offender was none other than another soldier with his sword raised, ready to strike her again.

Running over, you wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back, missing the attack. Not use to dodging with another person in your hold, you fell back. Seeing him about to strike down had you swiftly push up into a kneeling position.

"____!"

Bringing your dagger over your head, you moved a hand to the blade when you blocked, trying to add all the weight you could to stop the blow.

But this was not an easy feat.

The pressure had instantly made your arms shake as you fought desperately to keep them raised. There was no way you could get out of this on your own. From her position behind you, your mother began casting more magic. Seeing this happen caused the soldier to back off and the ice shards missed there mark. In the meantime, you both got back on your feet. And now shuffling a hand in your bag, you searched for the potion to use on her.

"How is your shoulder?"

"It's fine," she replied, attempting a reassuring smile. It looked too forced to you.

Glancing at the soldier adjusting his sword in his hold, you finally had the potion in your grasp. When he saw you bring it out, it made his eyes lock on you. With his new target sighted, he charged forward, and you waited until he was close enough so you could run to the side. He immediately followed after you, swinging his blade in a horizontal motion.

With the dagger in one hand and the potion in the other, there was no way you could block this, so instead you dropped to a crouch before darting past him. When you neared your mother again, you noticed she seemed to be struggling to catch her breath. Using this much magic after a long time of not doing so was tiring for her. And being harmed made things all the more difficult.

Not wasting another second, you opened the potion and splashed it at her shoulder. Her tightened expression relaxed slightly, but she gave you a look. "You should not have wasted that. Even with the potion, I still won't be completely healed."

"It wasn't a waste. The pain lessened, didn't it?" You said, tossing the empty bottle aside. Stepping back into a stance, you held your dagger with both hands. As long as her pain was relieved in some way, it was worth it.

"____..." She trailed off, shaking her head. She wanted to say more, but couldn't bring herself to do so right away. Instead, she took in a breath before saying a chant.

The soldier ran forward with his sword lowered and out to the side, about to swing at her. Covering your mother, you were able to intercept the attack. Holding your dagger in front of you vertically, you once again put your other hand on the cool steel to lessen the impact. But despite these efforts, you were still knocked over from the force of it. When you crashed into the ground, you weren't able to hold back a scream.

And neither was the soldier when he was engulfed in flames.

Pushing yourself up, you watched as he remained standing for a time before falling on his back. Looking around the area for more enemies, you were relieved to see that there were none. Hand clutching her shoulder once more, your mother dropped to her knees. Seeing the foreign sight had your expression fill with worry.

"Mother!" Without hesitation, you were at her side in seconds. Placing an arm around her back, you reached your other hand into your bag. Pulling out some bandages and the disinfectant, you moved to stand. "We still have some herbs, don't we?"

Seeing her give a shallow nod had you sprint for the house. And coming back with some herbs and a wet towel in hand, you sat next to her again. Lowering her clothes enough to reveal the injury, you took in the bloodied stab wound with trembling hands.

_It went all the way through..._

With a heavy heart, you cleaned the injury.

...

After taking care of your mother to the best of your ability, you took her inside to rest. You both knew that her injury was too serious for her to just toughen out with no severe consequences happening... She needed medical attention from town immediately.

If the chocobo was still here, you would've used her to get to town. But since she ran away in the midst of what transpired, you had to go get another one. This time, you planned on bringing it back safe. Not wanting to waste anymore time, you leaned down to embrace her. With one arm, she was able to return it.

"I'll be back soon."

"Be careful, sweetie..."

Pulling back after kissing her cheek, you left the room.

You had to hurry not only because of the wound she sustained... but because the soldiers now knew where your family lived. You weren't sure if more would come, so you had to get back and make sure your mother was out of harms way. Leaving home, you headed for the chocobo forest at a run.


End file.
